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Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the sustainment and modernization of the Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet, which performs a variety of missions supporting U.S. interests in polar regions. The report is written in response to the Coast Guard's budget request for a new polar ice breaker (none are currently in operation).
Date: February 11, 2014
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-China Trade: United States Has Secured Commitments in Key Bilateral Dialogues, but U.S. Agency Reporting on Status Should Be Improved

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO identified 298 trade and investment commitments made by China in the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT)—184 since 2004—and the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and its predecessor—114 since 2007. The commitments range from affirmations of open trade principles to sector-specific actions. GAO identified 11 issue areas to characterize the content of each commitme… more
Date: February 11, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Rulemaking: Regulatory Review Processes Could Be Enhanced

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2007, GAO found that agencies had conducted more retrospective reviews of the costs and benefits of existing regulation than was readily apparent, especially to the public. Requirements in statutes or executive directives were sometimes the impetus for reviews, but agencies more often conducted these retrospective reviews based on their own discretionary authorities. Agencies reported that discretion… more
Date: March 11, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Ballistic Missile Defense: Actions Needed to Address Implementation Issues and Estimate Long-Term Costs for European Capabilities

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) met the presidentially announced time frame to deploy initial ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities in Europe under the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) but did not fully identify and plan to resolve implementation issues before deployment. As a result, DOD experienced implementation issues, such as incomplete construction of housing facilities for soldiers… more
Date: April 11, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Budget: Overview and Issues for FY2015 and Beyond

Description: This report provides an overview of federal budget issues, focusing on recent fiscal policy changes. It discusses the major policy proposals contained in the President's FY2015 budget and the House and Senate budget resolutions and also addresses major short- and long-term fiscal challenges.
Date: April 11, 2014
Creator: Levit, Mindy R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations

Description: This report discusses the current Congressional issues in relation to Venezuela, including background on the political situation and recent developments, the economic conditions, relevant U.S. policies, and the legislative initiatives in the 111th and 112th Congresses.
Date: April 11, 2014
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel

Description: This report provides an overview of U.S. foreign assistance to Israel. It includes a review of past aid programs, data on annual assistance, and an analysis of current issues.
Date: April 11, 2014
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Libya: Transition and U.S. Policy

Description: This report discusses the revolution and post-conflict transition in Libya, triggered in mid-February 2011 by a chain of events resulting in the death of the Prime Minister (Qadhafi); a new government was elected in July. The report also looks at the military and economic state of the country, including human rights, Islam and politics, and Libya's oil assets.
Date: June 11, 2014
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and presents potential issues for Congress concerning the Navy's ship force-structure goals and shipbuilding plans, including the planned size of the Navy, the rate of Navy ship procurement, and prospective affordability. Congressional decisions on Navy shipbuilding programs can substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
Date: July 11, 2014
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP): In Brief

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP), and discusses the congressional interest, market access, regulatory issues, and trade-related rules.
Date: June 11, 2014
Creator: Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias & Jones, Vivian C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy

Description: 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. It focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with Iran and with the United States.
Date: June 11, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress

Description: This report presents policy and oversight issues for Congress arising from maritime territorial disputes involving China in the South China Sea (SCS), East China Sea (ECS), and an additional dispute over whether China has a right under international law to regulate U.S. and other foreign military activities in its maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Date: April 11, 2014
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

Description: This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, focusing particularly on the influence of the Taliban and other militant groups, and on the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This report also discusses the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, in both the short and long term, and U.S. efforts under the Obama Administration to provide military, reconstructive, and stabilization aid.
Date: July 11, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Receipt of Unemployment Insurance by Higher-Income Unemployed Workers ("Millionaires")

Description: This report addresses many of the questions that have arisen regarding proposals to restrict unemployment benefits for the wealthy, including the potential number of people who would be affected and the potential savings to federal and state governments.
Date: June 11, 2014
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P. & Whittaker, Julie M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Funding for Health Insurance Exchanges

Description: This report provides a state-by-state breakdown of the health insurance exchange grants awarded to date. It then briefly describes the requirement for exchanges to be selfsustaining, and concludes with a discussion of the sources and amounts of funding that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has used and plans to use to support federally-facilitated exchange (FFE) operations.
Date: June 11, 2014
Creator: Mach, Annie L. & Redhead, C. Stephen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Expiration and Extension of the 2008 Farm Bill

Description: This report provides information about the Expiration and Extension of the 2008 Farm Bill which is politically sensitive and complicated which is taking longer to enact in previous decades.
Date: April 11, 2014
Creator: Monke, Jim; Stubbs, Megan & Aussenberg, Randy Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Selected Legislative Proposals to Reform the Housing Finance System

Description: The 113th Congress has seen several developments in the effort to reform the housing finance system. In the House, the Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act of 2013 (PATH Act; H.R. 2767) was ordered to be reported out of the House Financial Services Committee on July 24, 2013. This report will briefly explain the different approaches to housing finance reform offered by these legislative proposals, focusing on efforts to replace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reform FHA. The report d… more
Date: June 11, 2014
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.; Weiss, N. E. & Jones, Katie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Latin America and Climate Change

Description: This report briefly discusses recent policy efforts in Latin America to confront climate change and the Obama Administrations' Energy and Climate Partnership for the Americas (ECPA).
Date: December 11, 2014
Creator: Beittel, June S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Analysis of H.R. 5781, California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014

Description: This report provides a description and analysis of H.R. 5781, the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014, which passed the House December 9, 2014. It includes a summary of key provisions of the bill, and compares it with two other bills from the 113th Congress aiming to address different aspects of drought and water management in California.
Date: December 11, 2014
Creator: Cody, Betsy A.; Sheikh, Pervaze A. & Stern, Charles V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues

Description: The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has selected a number of the military personnel issues considered in deliberations on H.R. 4435, the initial House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2015; S. 2410, the version of the NDAA reported by the Senate Committee on Armed Services (S.Rept. 113-176) but not considered by the full Senate; and H.R. 3979, the proposed final version. This report provides a brief synopsis of sections in each bill that perta… more
Date: December 11, 2014
Creator: Torreon, Barbara Salazar; Kapp, Lawrence & Jansen, Don J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Legislation to Facilitate Cybersecurity Information Sharing: Economic Analysis

Description: This report analyzes the incentives for companies to share information about cybersecurity breaches with other companies and the federal government. Data breaches, such as those at Target, Home Depot, Neiman Marcus, and JPMorgan Chase, affecting financial records of tens of millions of households seem to occur regularly. Companies typically respond by trying to increase their cybersecurity by hiring consultants and purchasing new hardware and software. Policy analysts have suggested that sharin… more
Date: December 11, 2014
Creator: Weiss, N. Eric
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Taiwan Relationship: Overview of Policy Issues

Description: This report is a succinct overview of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship including an analysis of issues. For decades, Taiwan has been of significant security, economic, and political interest to the United States. While the United States does not diplomatically recognize Taiwan, it is a significant autonomous actor in the world.
Date: December 11, 2014
Creator: Kan, Shirley A. & Morrison, Wayne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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