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Wildfire Fuels and Fuel Reduction

Description: This report examines wildfire biomass fuels. It discusses fuel characteristics and their relation to wildfire intensity and spread, and includes a description of actions proposed to reduce biomass fuel levels, their effectiveness for protecting property and resources from wildfires, and their impacts on other resource values. It concludes with an examination of the federal authorities for fuel reduction activities on federal and non-federal lands, together with data on the funding provided undeā€¦ more
Date: May 13, 2013
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Crime and Forfeiture

Description: This report provides an overview of federal forfeiture law. It sketches the origins and general attributes of forfeiture, describes the distribution of the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates, and identifies some of the related constitutional issues.
Date: May 13, 2013
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses some of the commercial and federal radio frequency spectrum policy changes required by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. It also summarizes new policy directions for spectrum management under consideration in the 112th Congress, such as the encouragement of new technologies that use spectrum more efficiently.
Date: May 28, 2013
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Crises and Disasters: U.S. Humanitarian Assistance Response Mechanisms

Description: Report that examines U.S. humanitarian assistance in international crises and disaster situations. It considers the sources and types of U.S. government aid, the response mechanisms of key U.S. agencies and departments, and possible issues for Congress--including competing aid and budget priorities, burden sharing and donor-fatigue, the transparency and efficacy of U.S. humanitarian assistance, consequences of such assistance, and potential links to broader U.S. foreign policy goals.
Date: May 24, 2013
Creator: Margesson, Rhoda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Political Transition in Tunisia

Description: Report that discusses Tunisia's pro-democracy movement; concerns over potential instability in a previously secure, pro-Western area; and U.S.-Tunisian relations.
Date: May 22, 2013
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Detainers: Legal Issues

Description: Report that provides background information regarding the Immigration and Naturalization Service rules and regulations and discusses the "immigration detainer", a document by which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) advises other law enforcement agencies that it seeks custody of individual aliens whom these agencies are detaining.
Date: May 29, 2013
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Public Health, Workforce, Quality, and Related Provisions in ACA: Summary and Timeline

Description: Report containing reference material regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual provisions at the time of enactment. This report -- one in a series of CRS products summarizing ACA that were issued after the law's enactment -- describes the law's workforce, public health, quality, and related provisions.
Date: May 17, 2013
Creator: Redhead, C. S. & Heisler, Elayne J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FBI Director: Appointment and Tenure

Description: Report that first reviews the legislative history surrounding the enactment of the 1968 and 1976 amendments to the appointment of the FBI Director, as well as information on the nominees to the FBI Directorship since 1972. The report also provides a legal overview of the extension of a Director's tenure.
Date: May 30, 2013
Creator: Chu, Vivian S. & Hogue, Henry B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile

Description: Report that presents a profile of the membership of the 113th Congress (2013-2014). Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age, occupation, education, length of congressional service, religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, foreign births, and military service.
Date: May 29, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Description: Report that discusses the effects of economic sanctions against Iran, support to the Iranian democracy movement, and opposition against Iranian human rights violations and Iranian support for Syrian human rights violations.
Date: May 28, 2013
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS): Background and Funding

Description: This report discusses the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, which was created by Title I of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-322). The mission of the COPS program is to advance community policing in all jurisdictions across the United States. Legislation introduced in the 111th Congress would reauthorize the COPS program through FY2014 and reestablish COPS as a multi-grant program. This report provides an overview and analysis of issues Congā€¦ more
Date: May 14, 2013
Creator: James, Nathan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Wildfire Damages to Homes and Resources: Understanding Causes and Reducing Losses

Description: This report focuses on options for protecting structures and for protecting wildlands and natural resources from wildfires. It begins with a brief overview of the nature of wildfires, followed by a discussion of protecting structures. Then, it discusses wildfire damages to wildlands and natural resources, fuel treatment options and their benefits and limitations, and public involvement in federal decisions.
Date: May 23, 2013
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bureau of Prisons: Improvements Needed in Bureau of Prisons' Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact of Segregated Housing

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The overall number of inmates in the Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) three main types of segregated housing units--Special Housing Units (SHU), Special Management Units (SMU), and Administrative Maximum (ADX)--increased at a faster rate than the general inmate population. Inmates may be placed in SHUs for administrative reasons, such as pending transfer to another prison, and for disciplinary reasons, such as ā€¦ more
Date: May 1, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pakistan: Reporting on Visa Delays That Disrupt U.S. Assistance Could Be Improved

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. officials have experienced delays in obtaining Pakistani visas that disrupt the delivery and oversight of U.S. assistance to Pakistan. According to Pakistani Consular Services, and as confirmed by the Department of State (State), the goal of the embassy of Pakistan is to issue visas for U.S. officials within 6 weeks. GAO's analysis of data provided by State, the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Jusā€¦ more
Date: May 7, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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SSA Representative Payee Program: Addressing Long-Term Challenges Requires a More Strategic Approach

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Social Security Administration (SSA) struggles to effectively administer its Representative Payee Program, despite steps taken to address its challenges in identifying, selecting, and monitoring representative payees. For example, due to increasing workloads and staff attrition, SSA field office managers in some offices said they sometimes have to perform payee program duties that lower level staff ā€¦ more
Date: May 29, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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VA Health Care: Management and Oversight of Fee Basis Care Need Improvement

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) fee basis care spending increased from about $3.04 billion in fiscal year 2008 to about $4.48 billion in fiscal year 2012. The slight decrease in fiscal year 2012 spending from the fiscal year 2011 level was due to VA's adoption of Medicare rates as its primary payment method for fee basis providers. VA's fee basis care utilization also increased from about 821,0ā€¦ more
Date: May 31, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Employing People With Blindness or Severe Disabilities: Enhanced Oversight of the AbilityOne Program Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal agencies need to exercise strong oversight to promote effectiveness and efficiency and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse--especially in a federal procurement program such as this, which is exempt from full and open competition requirements. However, although the AbilityOne Commission is ultimately responsible for overseeing the program, the Commission cannot control how CNAs (1) spend their funds,ā€¦ more
Date: May 30, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Capital Purchase Program: Status of the Program and Financial Health of Remaining Participants

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As of March 31, 2013, the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) had received about $222 billion from its Capital Purchase Program (CPP) investments, exceeding the approximately $205 billion it had disbursed. Treasury estimated at the end of December 2012 that CPP would have an approximate lifetime income of $15 billion after all institutions had exited the program. Treasury's March 2013 data showed thatā€¦ more
Date: May 7, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Management: Additional Information Needed to Improve Military Departments' Strategies for Corrosion Prevention and Control

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The military departments' Corrosion Control and Prevention Executives (Corrosion Executives) coordinated with the Department of Defense's (DOD) Corrosion Policy and Oversight Office (Corrosion Office) on reviews of their respective strategic plans. GAO's prior work has found that linking the goals of component organizations to departmental strategic goals is a practice that, if consistently applied, shoā€¦ more
Date: May 16, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: HHS's Process for Awarding and Overseeing Exchange and Rate Review Grants to States

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a structured process for awarding Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) exchange and rate review grants to states. These grants are designed to help states establish exchanges--new health insurance marketplaces through which individuals and small businesses can obtain insurance--and review issuers' proposed rate increases. The grant awarā€¦ more
Date: May 31, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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UN Compensation: United Nations Should Clarify the Process and Assumptions Underlying Secretariat Professional Salaries

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) determines changes to each component of United Nations (UN) Secretariat professional employees' salaries and calculates the difference between UN and U.S. civil service salaries annually. ICSC recommends adjustments to the first component, base salaries, each year to align with changes to U.S. civil service base salaries. For example, ICSC calculated thaā€¦ more
Date: May 29, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Headquarters: DOD Needs to Periodically Review and Improve Visibility Of Combatant Commands' Resources

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO's analysis of resources devoted to the Department of Defense's (DOD) geographic combatant commands shows that authorized military and civilian positions and mission and headquarters-support costs have grown considerably over the last decade due to the addition of two new commands and increases in authorized positions at theater special operations commands. Data provided by the commands shows that auā€¦ more
Date: May 15, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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