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Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund: Programs and Policy Issues

Description: This report begins by describing the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund's history, current appropriations, and each of its programs. The next section analyzes four policy considerations of congressional interest regarding the Fund and the effective use of federal resources to promote economic development. Lastly, this report examines the Fund's programs and management to see if they represent an effective and efficient government effort to promote economic development in low-inco… more
Date: March 13, 2014
Creator: Lowry, Sean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Wartime Detention Provisions in Recent Defense Authorization Legislation

Description: This report offers a brief background of the salient issues raised by the detainee provisions of the FY2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), provides a section-by-section analysis, and discusses executive interpretation and implementation of the act's mandatory military detention provision. It also addresses detainee provisions in the 2013 NDAA and 2014 NDAA, as well as those found in the competing House and Senate defense authorization bills for FY2015.
Date: June 23, 2014
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K. & Garcia, Michael John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Policy Issues in the General Motors Vehicle Recall

Description: This report discusses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) process by which vehicle safety defects are identified and vehicles are recalled, as well as the impact that the 2009 GM bankruptcy may have on liability for this defect.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Canis, Bill; Peterman, David Randall & Pettit, Carol A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Project BioShield Act: Issues for the 113th Congress

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the Project BioShield authorities and appropriations, identifies the medical countermeasures obtained through Project BioShield, reviews the relationship between Project BioShield and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and discusses policy issues for congressional policy makers and related legislation in the 113th Congress.
Date: June 18, 2014
Creator: Gottron, Frank
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt

Description: This report presents current data on estimated ownership of U.S. Treasury securities and major holders of federal debt by country. Federal debt represents the accumulated balance of borrowing by the federal government.
Date: June 16, 2014
Creator: Labonte, Marc & Nagel, Jared C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables

Description: The report contains information on congressional pay procedure and recent adjustments. It includes historical information on pay rates since 1789; the adjustments projected by the Ethics Reform Act as compared to actual adjustments in Member pay; details on past legislation enacted with language prohibiting the annual pay adjustment; and Member pay in constant and current dollars since 1992.
Date: June 17, 2014
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians

Description: This report provides an overview of current issues in U.S.-Palestinian relations. It also contains an overview of Palestinian society and politics and descriptions of key Palestinian individuals and groups -- chiefly the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Authority (PA), Fatah, Hamas, and the Palestinian refugee population.
Date: July 3, 2014
Creator: Zanotti, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions

Description: This report provides an overview of the New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (START), including a comparison to the original START Treaty, the belief of the Obama Administration and outside analysts that New START will enhance U.S. national security, and the criticisms of those who say that New START is a distraction from more important items on the nonproliferation agenda.
Date: April 8, 2014
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response

Description: This report discusses the recent conflict in Syria including an overview of the situation, information about anti- and pro-Asad forces, background on chemical weapons and disarmament, plans for U.S. policy and assistance, and a general sense of the future outlook.
Date: June 24, 2014
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.; Humud, Carla E. & Nikitin, Mary Beth D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Description: This report discusses the reasons that Iran is considered a threat to U.S. security, including Iran's nuclear program, involvement with terrorist organizations, and involvement with neighboring countries' local governments. It also discusses ways in which the U.S. hopes to modify Iran's behavior with sanctions, and the effectiveness of these sanctions.
Date: June 30, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Health Centers

Description: This report provides an overview of the federal health center program including its statutory authority, program requirements, and appropriation levels. The report then describes health centers in general, where they are located, their patient population, and some outcomes associated with health center use. It also describes some federal programs available to assist health center operations as well as issues for Congress.
Date: April 1, 2014
Creator: Heisler, Elayne J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

Description: This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan and the Afghan government. It also discusses Afghanistan's relationship with the United States, particularly U.S. efforts to urge President Hamid Karzai to address corruption within the Afghan government.
Date: June 23, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress

Description: This report presents policy and oversight issues for Congress arising from maritime territorial disputes involving China in the South China Sea (SCS), East China Sea (ECS), and an additional dispute over whether China has a right under international law to regulate U.S. and other foreign military activities in its maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Date: July 3, 2014
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Related Non-Tariff Barriers to Agricultural Trade

Description: This report discuses sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, which are laws, regulations, standards, and procedures that governments employ as "necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health" from the risks associated with the spread of pests, diseases, or disease-carrying and causing organisms, or from additives, toxins, or contaminants in food, beverages, or feedstuffs.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a relatively inexpensive Navy surface combatant equipped with modular "plug-and-fight" mission packages for countering mines, small boats, and diesel-electric submarines, particularly in littoral (i.e., near-shore) waters.
Date: June 25, 2014
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Funding for Health Insurance Exchanges

Description: This report provides a state-by-state breakdown of the health insurance exchange grants awarded to date. It then briefly describes the requirement for exchanges to be selfsustaining, and concludes with a discussion of the sources and amounts of funding that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has used and plans to use to support federally-facilitated exchange (FFE) operations.
Date: June 11, 2014
Creator: Mach, Annie L. & Redhead, C. Stephen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions

Description: This report discusses how the Federal Reserve (Fed) handles monetary policy, including background information about the execution of monetary policy, the recent and current stance of monetary policy, and current legislation and Congressional oversight that would affect the Fed's practices.
Date: June 1, 2014
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Upcoming Rules Pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: The Spring 2014 Unified Agenda

Description: This report examines the Spring 2014 edition of the Unified Agenda and identifies upcoming proposed and final rules and long-term regulatory actions expected to be issued pursuant to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the next 12 months.
Date: June 30, 2014
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tolling U.S. Highways

Description: This report provides a brief history of tolling on federal roads and current law. The report discusses financial realities on toll roads and tolling policy issues.
Date: May 30, 2014
Creator: Kirk, Robert S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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