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The Size and Role of Government: Economic Issues

Description: The appropriate size and role of the government is one of the most fundamental and enduring debates in American politics. What role does the state play in economic activity? How is the economy affected by government intervention? Many of the arguments surrounding the proper size of government are economic in nature, and they will be discussed in this report.
Date: July 1, 2009
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress

Description: This report explores the relationship between the United States and Mexico in terms of trade, drug trafficking, and cooperative disease control and management. Specifically, the report discusses the Mérida Initiative, the trade dispute involving the implementation of NAFTA trucking provisions, Secretary of State Clinton's March 2009 visit to Mexico, and the April 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 "swine flu" virus.
Date: May 1, 2009
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P. & Beittel, June S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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North Korea: Terrorism List Removal

Description: The issue of North Korea's inclusion on the U.S. list of terrorism-supporting countries has been a major issue in U.S.-North Korean diplomacy since 2000, particularly in connection with negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea demanded that the Clinton and Bush Administration remove North Korea from the terrorism support list. Secretary of State Clinton said on June 7, 2009, that the Obama Administration would consider reinstating North Korea on the list of state supporters … more
Date: July 1, 2009
Creator: Niksch, Larry A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Overseas Private Investment Corporation: Background and Legislative Issues

Description: The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) was established in 1969 and began operations in 1971 as a development agency to promote and assist U.S. business investment in developing nations. Today, OPIC is a U.S. government agency that provides project financing, investment insurance, and other services for U.S. businesses in over 150 developing nations and emerging economies. To date, OPIC has funded, guaranteed, or insured over $180 billion in investments.
Date: December 1, 2009
Creator: Ilias, Shayerah
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Privacy and Security: Food and Drug Administration Faces Challenges in Establishing Protections for Its Postmarket Risk Analysis System

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for assessing the safety of certain medical products after approval (a process called postmarket risk surveillance). To this end, the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 required that FDA establish a postmarket risk identification and analysis system based on electronic health data. In May 2008, FDA began its Sentinel initiative, inte… more
Date: June 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2008 Lobbying Disclosure: Observations on Lobbyists' Compliance with Disclosure Requirements

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) of 2007 amended the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 by doubling the frequency of lobbyists' reporting and increasing criminal and civil penalties. This is GAO's second report in response to the Act's requirement for GAO to annually (1) determine the extent to which lobbyists can demonstrate compliance with the Act by providing support for information… more
Date: April 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Management: Observations on DOD's Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request for Corrosion Prevention and Control

Description: Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report formally transmits the briefing in response to section 2228(e) of title 10 of the United States Code. The statute requires the Comptroller General to provide an analysis of the Department of Defense's budget submission for corrosion prevention and control, as well as an analysis of the corrosion report accompanying defense budget materials, and provide the results to the congressional defense… more
Date: June 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Contingency Contracting: DOD, State, and USAID Continue to Face Challenges in Tracking Contractor Personnel and Contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan

Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Departments of Defense (DOD) and State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have relied extensively on contractors to provide a range of services in Iraq and Afghanistan, but as GAO has previously reported, the agencies have faced challenges in obtaining sufficient information to plan and manage their use of contractors. As directed by the National Defense Authorization Act for … more
Date: October 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Assessing the Reliability of Computer-Processed Data (Supersedes GAO-03-273G)

Description: Guidance issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This publication supersedes GAO-03-273G, Assessing the Reliability of Computer-Processed Data, October 2002. GAO published a guide to assist its auditing staff in ensuring the reliability of computer-based data. The guidance provides a flexible, risk-based framework for data reliability assessments that can be geared to the specific circumstances of each engagement. The framework is built on (1) making use of … more
Date: July 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Personnel Security Clearances: An Outcome-Focused Strategy and Comprehensive Reporting of Timeliness and Quality Would Provide Greater Visibility over the Clearance Process

Description: Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses the key recommendations from the two reports we recently released, which include (1) the need for a fully developed strategic framework for the reform process that includes outcome-focused performance measures to show progress and (2) more transparency in annually reporting to Congress on the timeliness and quality of the clearance process. This testimony is based on our review of the… more
Date: October 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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High Speed Passenger Rail: Future Development Will Depend on Addressing Financial and Other Challenges and Establishing a Clear Federal Role

Description: Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses the potential viability of high speed rail in the United States. Federal and other decision makers have had a renewed interest in how high speed rail might fit into the national transportation system and address increasing mobility constraints on highways and at airports due to congestion. This testimony is based on our report issued March 19, 2009, entitled High Speed Passenger Rail:… more
Date: April 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Guide to GAO Protective Orders

Description: Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This document is a guide to GAO Protective Orders."
Date: June 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Wildland Fire Management: Actions by Federal Agencies and Congress Could Mitigate Rising Fire Costs and Their Effects on Other Agency Programs

Description: Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Our nation's wildland fire problems have worsened in the past decade. The Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture and four agencies within the Department of the Interior (Interior) are responsible for managing fires on federal lands. Federal appropriations to these agencies for wildland fire management have more than doubled since the late 1990s, averaging $2.9 billion annually in recent years. Ri… more
Date: April 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Acquisitions: Measuring the Value of DOD's Weapon Programs Requires Starting with Realistic Baselines

Description: Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "n 2008, the cumulative cost growth in the Department of Defense's portfolio of 96 major defense acquisition programs was $296 billion and the average delay in delivering promised capabilities to the warfighter was 22 months. These poor outcomes mean that other critical defense and national priorities may go unfunded and that warfighters may go without the equipment they need to counter the changing threats th… more
Date: April 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Human Capital: Improved Implementation of Safeguards and an Action Plan to Address Employee Concerns Could Increase Employee Acceptance of the National Security Personnel System

Description: Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) is in the process of implementing its new human capital system for managing civilian personnel--the National Security Personnel System (NSPS). Key components of NSPS include compensation, classification, and performance management. Implementation of NSPS could have far-reaching implications, not just for DOD, but for civil service reform across the federal government. As of Feb… more
Date: April 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Emergency Management: Preliminary Observations on FEMA's Community Preparedness Programs Related to the National Preparedness System

Description: Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "By preparing their families and property before an event, individuals can reduce a disaster's impact on them and their need for first responder assistance, particularly in the first 72 hours following a disaster. By law, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is to develop a national preparedness system (NPS)--FEMA includes community preparedness … more
Date: October 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Contingency Contracting: DOD, State, and USAID Are Taking Actions to Track Contracts and Contractor Personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan

Description: Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Departments of Defense (DOD) and State (State) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have relied extensively on contractors to support troops and civilian personnel and carry out reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. While recognizing the benefits of using contactors, GAO and others have noted the risks and challenges associated with relying on contractors. To help increase c… more
Date: April 1, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financing Catastrophic Risk: Summary of the Homeowners' Defense Act of 2009 (S. 505 and H.R. 2555)

Description: This report discusses the drastic increase in demand for homeowners' insurance in Atlantic and Gulf Coast states following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This report also discusses various measures and efforts underway to enhance insurer capacity, pursue alternative forms of risk transfer, and create a national catastrophe financing facility, the last of which is an issue under considerable debate.
Date: July 1, 2009
Creator: King, Rawle O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Member Organizations: Their Purpose and Activities, History, and Formation

Description: There are 645 informal (Congressional) Member organizations listed in the Congressional Yellow Book or registered with the Committee on House Administration. Of these 645 informal organizations, 256 are registered with the Committee on House Administration as a congressional Member organization (CMO). This report examines the purpose and activities of CMOs and the reasons Members form them. It also identifies and describes seven CMO types, and it provides an overview of the historical developme… more
Date: July 1, 2009
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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North Korea's Second Nuclear Test: Implications of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874

Description: The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed Res. 1874 on June 12, 2009, in response to North Korea's second nuclear test. The resolution puts in place a series of sanctions on North Korea's arms sales, luxury goods, and financial transactions related to its weapons programs, and calls upon states to inspect North Korean vessels suspected of carrying such shipments. This report summarizes and analyzes Res. 1874.
Date: July 1, 2009
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth; Manyin, Mark E.; Chanlett-Avery, Emma; Nanto, Dick K. & Niksch, Larry A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power

Description: After several decades of widespread stagnation, nuclear power is attracting renewed interest. Expanding global access to nuclear power has the potential to lead to the spread of nuclear technology that could be used for nuclear weapons. This report discusses the issue of nuclear power with regard to nuclear weapons nonproliferation policies, the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) begun under the Bush Administration, the future of the GNEP under the Obama Administration, and four areas of … more
Date: July 1, 2009
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth; Andrews, Anthony & Holt, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues

Description: This report summarizes what is known from open sources about the North Korean nuclear weapons program - including weapons-usable fissile material and warhead estimates - and assesses current developments in achieving denuclearization.
Date: July 1, 2009
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress

Description: On March 15, 2006, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution replacing the Commission on Human Rights with a new Human Rights Council (the Council). The Council was designed to be an improvement over the Commission, which was widely criticized for the composition of its membership when perceived human rights abusers were elected as members. This report discusses the history of the Council, the previous participation of the Bush Administration, the current participation of the Obama Administ… more
Date: June 1, 2009
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mérida Initiative for Mexico and Central America: Funding and Policy Issues

Description: In October 2007, the United States and Mexico announced the Mérida Initiative, a three-year proposal for $1.4 billion in U.S. assistance to Mexico and Central America aimed at combating drug trafficking, gangs, and organized crime. This report provides an overview and discussion of the funding provided for Mérida, and presents several issues that Congress may consider as it oversees implementation of the Initiative.
Date: June 1, 2009
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando & Beittel, June S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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