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open access

Summary for Policy-makers

Description: Report summarizing the policy-relevant findings of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme' 2015 assessments of short-lived climate pollutants (Methane, Black carbon, and Ozone).
Date: May 23, 2016
Creator: Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress

Description: This report discusses the process of naming Navy ships, which have traditionally been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy. Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time.
Date: March 23, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons

Description: This report provides basic information about U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons. The report reviews the issues that have been raised with regard to U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons, and summarizes a number of policy options that might be explored by Congress, the United States, Russia, and other nations to address these issues.
Date: March 23, 2016
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides a definition regarding Internet governance and how the Internet is currently governed, and discusses the role of United States government and future model of Internet governance.
Date: March 23, 2016
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Iran Sanctions

Description: This report analyzes U.S. and international sanctions against Iran and provides some examples, based on open sources, of companies and countries that conduct business with Iran.
Date: March 23, 2016
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Does Foreign Aid Work? Efforts to Evaluate U.S. Foreign Assistance

Description: This report discusses the need to evaluate U.S. bilateral assistance (not on the work of multilateral aid entities, such as the World Bank) and methods of evaluation. It provides an overview of the history of evaluation, challenges, and how findings may be applied to policy. Additionally, it discusses current evaluation policies and issues for Congress.
Date: June 23, 2016
Creator: Lawson, Marian L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Display of the Confederate Flag at Federal Cemeteries in the United States

Description: This report discusses policies regarding the display of the Confederate Flag at national cemeteries. If a state observes a Confederate Memorial Day, National Park Service (NPS) cemeteries in the state may permit a sponsoring group to decorate the graves of Confederate veterans with small Confederate flags. Additionally, such flags may also be displayed on the nationally observed Memorial Day, to accompany the U.S. flag on the graves of Confederate veterans.
Date: June 23, 2016
Creator: Comay, Laura B. & Szymendera, Scott D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Honduras: Background and U.S. Relations

Description: This report discusses various domestic issues in Honduras, including current political, economic and security conditions. It also examines the implications for U.S. policy.
Date: May 23, 2016
Creator: Meyer, Peter J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

United States Lifts Remaining Restrictions on Arms Sales to Vietnam

Description: This report discusses the recent removal of remaining U.S. restrictions on sales of lethal weapons and related services to Vietnam. During the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the United States imposed a complete embargo on arms sales to North Vietnam, and then expanded it to cover the entire country after Communist forces defeated U.S-backed South Vietnamese government in 1975. In 2007, the Bush Administration eased the ban by allowing non-lethal defense items and defense services to be exported on a… more
Date: May 23, 2016
Creator: Manyin, Mark E. & Kerr, Paul K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's Five-Year Program for Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing: History and Proposed Program for 2017-2022

Description: The first two sections of this report discuss the history and legal framework for Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) five-year offshore oil and gas leasing programs. Subsequent sections outline BOEM's development process, briefly summarize previous years' programs, and analyze the proposal for 2017-2022. The final section of the report discusses the role of Congress, with a focus on congressional oversight and legislation related to the 2017-2022 program.
Date: May 23, 2016
Creator: Comay, Laura B.; Humphries, Marc & Vann, Adam
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

FHFA's Administrative Reform of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Housing Finance System

Description: This report discusses housing finance reform and structural changes enacted by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), particularly in relation to government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). It includes sections on GSEs and conservatorship; FHFA reforms broken down into information about risk-sharing transactions, a common securitization platform, and single security; and Congressional action on GSE reform.
Date: May 23, 2016
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (S. 524): Comparison of Senate- and House-Passed Versions

Description: This report discusses selected differences and similarities between the Senate- and House-passed versions of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA; S. 524), which aims to address the problem of opioid addiction in the United States. The two versions of the bill differ substantially. The scope of the differences may be illustrated by their structures: The Senate bill has 28 sections organized in 8 titles, whereas the House bill has 69 sections organized in 18 titles.
Date: May 23, 2016
Creator: Bagalman, Erin & Sacco, Lisa N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of the campaign finance landscape and policy issues that may confront Congress. It includes information about the development of campaign finance law with selected litigation as well as potential policy considerations and emerging issues.
Date: June 23, 2016
Creator: Garrett, R. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Eligibility and Determination of Health Insurance Premium Tax Credits and Cost-Sharing Subsidies: In Brief

Description: Certain individuals without access to subsidized health insurance coverage may be eligible for premium tax credits, as established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended). This report examines these tax credits and their eligibility requirements, as well as cost-sharing subsidies.
Date: March 23, 2016
Creator: Fernandez, Bernadette
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Multiyear Procurement (MYP) and Block Buy Contracting in Defense Acquisition: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and issues for Congress on multiyear procurement (MYP) and block buy contracting (BBC), which are special contracting mechanisms that Congress permits the Department of Defense (DOD) to use for a limited number of defense acquisition programs.
Date: March 23, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald & Schwartz, Moshe
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables

Description: This report provides historical tables on the rate of pay for Members of Congress since 1789; details on enacted legislation with language prohibiting the automatic annual pay adjustment since the most recent adjustment; the adjustments projected by the Ethics Reform Act as compared with actual adjustments in Member pay; and Member pay in constant and current dollars since 1992.
Date: February 23, 2016
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Legislative Action

Description: This report discusses the budget reconciliation process that has been one of the chief tools used by Congress during the period covering from 1980 to the present to implement major changes in budget policy. Following a brief overview of the budget reconciliation process, this report provides information on the timing of House and Senate action on reconciliation measures.
Date: February 23, 2016
Creator: Lynch, Megan S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Court-Ordered Access to Smart Phones: In Brief

Description: This report specifically examines certain encryption issues that have been raised in the investigation of the December 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino, CA. This report highlights certain issues that policymakers may examine as they follow the ongoing dispute between law enforcement and technology companies, and it focuses on questions related to the government's request.
Date: February 23, 2016
Creator: Finklea, Kristin; Thompson, Richard M., II & Jaikaran, Chris
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Health Care for Veterans: Suicide Prevention

Description: This report focuses on suicide prevention activities of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VHA's approach to suicide prevention is based on a public health framework, which has three major components: (1) surveillance, (2) risk and protective factors, and (3) interventions.
Date: February 23, 2016
Creator: Bagalman, Erin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Heroin Trafficking in the United States

Description: This report provides an overview of heroin trafficking into and within the United States. It includes a discussion of links between the trafficking of heroin and the illicit movement of related substances such as controlled prescription drugs and synthetic drugs like fentanyl. The report also outlines existing U.S. efforts to combat heroin trafficking and possible congressional considerations going forward.
Date: August 23, 2016
Creator: Finklea, Kristin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

DOD Security Cooperation: An Overview of Authorities and Issues

Description: This report provides a general overview of current Department of Defense (DOD) Title 10 authorities to assist foreign governments, militaries, security forces, and populations funded by the DOD budget. It presents background information; provides summary overviews of nine categories of security cooperation assistance and activities; and discusses recent issues related to the development, implementation, sustainment, and coordination of security cooperation to support continuing congressional ov… more
Date: August 23, 2016
Creator: Skorupski, Bolko J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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