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Medicare: Insolvency Projections

Description: This report focuses on the two separate trust funds that fund Medicare, the Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund and Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) trust fund. Almost from its inception, the HI trust fund has faced a projected shortfall and eventual insolvency. Because of the way it is financed, the SMI trust fund cannot become insolvent; however, the Medicare Trustees continue to express concerns about the rapid growth in SMI costs.
Date: August 16, 2017
Creator: Davis, Patricia A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

OPEC and Non-OPEC Crude Oil Production Agreement: Compliance Status

Description: This report discusses OPEC's policy and agreement with 11 non-OPEC countries to reduce oil production to stabilize the price of oil which began January 1, 2017 and is in effect until March 31, 2018. Brief descriptions of the results of the agreement on global oil stocks are provided.
Date: November 16, 2017
Creator: Brown, Phillip
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: Lessons Learned and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discuses the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from electric power plants. The first section of this report provides an overview of the RGGI cap-and-trade program and the participating RGGI states. The subsequent sections discuss selected issues raised by RGGI that may be of interest to Congress. The final section provides some final observations that may be instructive to policymakers.
Date: May 16, 2017
Creator: Ramseur, Jonathan L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

House Committee Funding: Description of Process and Analysis of Disbursements

Description: This report discusses the funding process of House committees. The report is organized in three sections. The first provides an overview of the committee funding process in the House and analyzes funding levels since 1996. The second reviews House floor and committee action on committee funding in the 115th Congress. The final section summarizes the rules and regulations that structure the use of committee funds, and analyzes actual committee funding spending patterns during six previous years.
Date: May 16, 2017
Creator: Glassman, Matthew Eric
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Air Traffic Inc. Considerations Regarding the Corporatization of Air Traffic Control

Description: This report looks at past proposals to corporatize or privatize FAA air traffic functions and examines the way air traffic management is structured in other countries, particularly focusing on those that have opted for corporatization or privatization.
Date: May 16, 2017
Creator: Elias, Bart
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Airport Privatization: Issues and Options for Congress

Description: This report discusses airport privatization under the Airport Privatization Pilot Program (APPP) and the airports that have been involved in the program on some level. Examples of airport privatization in the United Kingdom and Canada are also discussed.
Date: August 16, 2017
Creator: Tang, Rachel Y.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Gun Control: Silencers Under the Hearing Protection Act (H.R. 3668)

Description: This report discusses the proposed "Hearing Protection Act" (A part of the Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act,H.R. 3668) which would take gun silencers out from under the jurisdiction of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) and have them regulated only by the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA). The NFA requires fingerprint based background checks, taxes various parts of the production process, requires sellers to be federally licensed, and silencers must be registered with ATF.
Date: October 16, 2017
Creator: Krouse, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, and refers readers to more in-depth CRS reports on specific Arctic-related issues. Some general issues include Arctic territorial disputes; commercial shipping through the Arctic; Arctic oil, gas, and mineral exploration; endangered Arctic species; and increased military operations in the Arctic, which could cause the region in coming years to become an arena of international cooperation or competition.
Date: August 16, 2017
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Public Health Service Agencies: Overview and Funding (Fiscal Year 2016-Fiscal Year 2018)

Description: This report outlines the funding types received by U.S. Public Health Service agencies and provides brief overviews of each agency and their recent funding trends. The eight agencies discussed are the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Toxic Substances and and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Indian Health Service (IHS… more
Date: August 16, 2017
Creator: Redhead, C. Stephen; Dabrowska, Agata; Bagalman, Erin; Heisler, Elayne J.; Johnson, Judith A.; Lister, Sarah A. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Clean Air Act Issues in the 115th Congress: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the reviews of EPA policies regarding new rules created in 2015 regarding emission of greenhouse gases and ozone air pollution. The new regulations were put in force through authority given to the EPA in the Clean Air Acts of 1970, 1977, and 1990. Some Congressional members would like to revoke some of the authority of the EPA to change existing emission regulations and instead require Congressional approval for changes which along with the new presidential administration … more
Date: August 16, 2017
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Regulation of Debit Interchange Fees

Description: This report discusses section 735 of the Financial Choice Act (H.R. 10) which would repeal the Durbin Amendment. The Durbin Amendment capped the amount of interchange fees paid by merchants to banks when a customer uses a debit card to pay. The report begins with a description of the debit payments process and network pricing for the four-party system and the three-party system. It summarizes the requirements of Regulation II, which implements the Durbin Amendment. The report concludes with a … more
Date: May 16, 2017
Creator: Getter, Darryl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Contracting the Adversary

Description: This report discusses the training of Navy and Air Force pilots through the use of "adversary" squadrons which fly planes that are either similar or actual versions of those used by enemy countries. The Air Force is considering contracting out this service due to the pilot shortage in the Air Force. Various options and precedent for such contracting services are discussed.
Date: November 16, 2017
Creator: Gertler, Jeremiah
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Memorandum: Summary of the Substantive Provisions of S. 2010, the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 and H.R. 3989, The USA Liberty Act of 2017

Description: This report summarizes the substantive provisions of S. 2010, the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017, as reported by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on October 25, 2017, and H.R. 3989, the USA Liberty Act of 2017, as ordered to be reported by the House Judiciary Committee on November 8, 2017. Both bills primarily amend and reauthorize Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA).
Date: November 16, 2017
Creator: Liu, Edward C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief

Description: This report provides an overview of the individual mandate, its associated penalty, and the exemptions from the mandate. It discusses the ACA reporting requirements designed, in part, to assist individuals in providing evidence of having met the mandate. The report includes some national- and state-level data on the application of the mandate's penalty in tax year (TY) 2014 and TY2015.
Date: November 16, 2017
Creator: Mach, Annie L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 115th Congress

Description: This report discusses bills in the 115th Congress regarding the Federal Reserve (Fed). Four major areas of interest are addressed by the bills; Fed governance, increased oversight and disclosure to Congress and the public, A monetary policy rule (known as the Taylor Rule) that would be used a standard for the Fed to compare their policies with, and reduction of their emergency lending powers.
Date: May 16, 2017
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Cost-Of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities

Description: This report discusses cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). It includes the formulas used to calculate rates of inflation, amounts paid, and a table of retirement benefits.
Date: October 16, 2017
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Zimbabwe: A Military-Compelled Transition?

Description: This report discusses the military intervention in Zimbabwe which occurred on November 14 and 15th, 2017, and provides a discussion of the main events leading up to the action and possible outcomes.
Date: November 16, 2017
Creator: Cook, Nicolas
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Repair or Rebuild: Options for Electric Power in Puerto Rico

Description: This report explores several alternative electric power structures to PREPA for meeting the electricity services and needs of Puerto Rico. The ability of Puerto Rico and its citizens to assume the burden of paying for a rebuilt (and possibly restructured) electricity system is doubtful. Modernizing Puerto Rico’s grid, and taking the next steps to incorporate resiliency, could be expensive. None of the options discussed provides a silver bullet solution to the issues of the grid in Puerto Rico. … more
Date: November 16, 2017
Creator: Campbell, Richard J.; Clark, Corrie E. & Austin, D. Andrew
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

A Shift in the International Security Environment: Potential Implications for Defense--Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses the shift in the international security environment from a post Cold-War era to a new one with new priorities, strategies, and needs and implications for U.S. defense policy. Topics discussed include past security environments and indicators of a new one and various areas of defense policy affected.
Date: August 16, 2017
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class aircraft carrier program. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget requests a total of $2,662.6 million in procurement and advance procurement (AP) funding for CVN-79 and CVN-80, the second and third ships in the program.
Date: June 16, 2017
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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