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Abortion and Family Planning-Related Provisions in U.S. Foreign Assistance Law and Policy

Description: This report details legislation and policies that restrict or place requirements on U.S. funding of abortion or family planning activities abroad. The level and extent of federal funding for these activities is an ongoing and controversial issue in U.S. foreign assistance and will likely continue to be a point of contention during the second session of the 114th Congress.
Date: July 5, 2015
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Biotechnology: Background, Regulation, and Policy Issues

Description: This report discusses on going issues regarding biotechnology, which refers primarily to the use of recombinant DNA techniques to genetically modify or bioengineer plants and animals. Ongoing policy issues include the impacts of genetially engineered (GE) crops on the environment (e.g., pest and weed resistance), whether GE foods should be labeled, their potential contamination of conventionally raised and organic plants, and issues of liability.
Date: July 20, 2015
Creator: Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Airline Passenger Rights: The Federal Role in Aviation Consumer Protection

Description: This report examines aviation consumer protections following the 1978 elimination of most governmental control regarding airline business practices. It explains the roles of Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in protecting airline consumers, and discusses some major passenger rights issues and related laws and regulations.
Date: July 21, 2015
Creator: Tang, Rachel Y.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Appropriations Report Language: Overview of Development, Components, and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of appropriations report language. In current practice, report language does not accompany formulaic continuing resolutions (CRs), even if funds are provided in this manner for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Armed Career Criminal Act (18 U.S.C. 924(e)): An Overview

Description: This report discusses the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), 18 U.S.C. 924(e). The law requires a minimum 15-year term of imprisonment for recidivists convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. 922(g), who have three prior state or federal convictions for violent felonies or serious drug offenses.
Date: July 29, 2015
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorizations, Appropriations, and Activities

Description: This report summarizes congressional authorization and appropriations processes for the Army Corps of Engineers and agency activities under general authorities. Congress directs the Corps through authorizations, appropriations, and oversight of its studies, construction projects, and other activities.
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: Carter, Nicole T. & Stern, Charles V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Proposed Rule on Medicaid Managed Care: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report responds to a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) identified to address some of the major updates included in the proposed rule. The FAQs summarize provisions such as the introduction of a minimum medical loss ratio (MLR), guidance on enrolling the long-term services and supports (LTSS) population in managed care, and network adequacy.
Date: July 15, 2015
Creator: Blom, Kirstin B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Charleston, SC, Mass Shooter Might Have Been Denied a Handgun If Not for Possible Recordkeeping Oversights

Description: This report briefly discusses the announcement by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey that the alleged assailant in the Charleston, SC, mass murder/shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church might have been prevented from acquiring a handgun if not for possible recordkeeping oversights on the part of the FBI and Columbia, SC, city police and county sheriff's departments.
Date: July 13, 2015
Creator: Krouse, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Charter-Time Warner Cable-Bright House Networks Mergers: Overview and Issues

Description: The combination of Charter, Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC), and Bright House Networks (BHN) would create a single entity providing cable television and broadband access service to 23.9 million customers in 41 states, making it the nation’s second-largest cable television operator and broadband access provider. At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must approve the transactions before they can close.This report describes recent t… more
Date: July 24, 2015
Creator: Scherer, Dana A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report focuses on the potential implications of China's naval modernization for future required U.S. Navy capabilities. Other CRS reports address separate issues relating to China. This report is based on unclassified open-source information.
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's programs for procuring 8 National Security Cutters (NSCs), 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs), and 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), intended as replacements for 90 aging Coast Guard cutters and patrol craft. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Coast Guard's funding requests and acquisition strategies for these programs.
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Consumer and Credit Reporting, Scoring, and Related Policy Issues

Description: This report provides background information on the consumer data industry and various specialty areas. One prominent specialty area--consumer scoring--is explained and includes information about various factors used to calculate credit scores. It provides a general description of the current regulatory framework of the consumer data industry. Finally, this report discusses selected policy issues pertaining to credit scoring and proposed modifications that may result in expanded consumer protect… more
Date: July 30, 2015
Creator: Getter, Darryl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Counting Regulations: An Overview of Rulemaking, Types of Federal Regulations, and Pages in the Federal Register

Description: This report serves to inform the congressional debate over rulemaking by analyzing different ways to measure federal rulemaking activity. The report provides data on and analysis of the total number of rules issued each year, as well as information on other types of rules, such as "major" rules, "significant" rules, and "economically significant" rules.
Date: July 14, 2015
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cyber Intrusion into U.S. Office of Personnel Management: In Brief

Description: This report provides an overview of the current understanding of the recent U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) breaches, which may have compromised personal information of former and current federal employees. It also discusses issues and questions raised about the source of the breaches, possible uses of the information exfiltrated, potential national security ramifications, and implications for the cybersecurity of federal information systems.
Date: July 17, 2015
Creator: Finklea, Kristin; Christensen, Michelle D.; Fischer, Eric A.; Lawrence, Susan V. & Theohary, Catherine A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dark Web

Description: This report illuminates information on the various layers of the Internet, with a particular focus on the Dark Web. It discusses both legitimate and illicit uses of the Dark Web, including how the government may rely upon it. Throughout, the report raises issues that policy makers may consider as they explore means to curb malicious activity online.
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Finklea, Kristin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Debt Limit Legislation: The House "Gephardt Rule"

Description: This report describes the legislative history of the Gephardt rule, initially codified as Rule XLIX of the Standing Rules of the House of Representatives, which was established by P.L. 96-78 (93 Stat. 589-591). The goal of the act was to provide for a temporary increase in the public debt limit to contextualize the issue within other budget policies and to reduce time spent and the number of votes taken on the issue. The report also explains its features and reviews how it operated before it w… more
Date: July 27, 2015
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Spending and the Budget Control Act Limits

Description: This report discusses the Budget Control Act, which sets limits on defense spending between fiscal years 2012 and 2021 and possible measures to avoid a sequester. The current debate in Congress has centered on whether to adjust the BCA defense caps upward; move base budget spending to accounts designated for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) that are not subject to spending limits; reduce the defense spending in the Administration's request to comply with BCA revised caps; or use some combi… more
Date: July 22, 2015
Creator: Belasco, Amy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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