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Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate

Description: This report discusses the current debate over "net neutrality." While there is no single accepted definition of "net neutrality," most agree that any such definition should include the general principles that owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet should not control how consumers lawfully use that network, and they should not be able to discriminate against content provider access to that network.
Date: May 21, 2014
Creator: Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Program: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: The attacks of September 11, 2001, prompted an increased federal focus on protecting the United States against terrorist nuclear or radiological attack. Since that time, the federal government has expanded existing programs, developed new programs, and deployed new equipment at U.S. borders and elsewhere. The global nuclear detection architecture has multiple facets, including source security to make acquiring threat material more difficult, intelligence activities, law enforcement activities, … more
Date: May 21, 2010
Creator: Shea, Dana A.; Moteff, John D. & Morgan, Daniel
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Disaster Assistance

Description: This report has two sections. The first provides an overview of the current USDA disaster assistance programs: federal crop insurance, NAP payments, emergency disaster loans, the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE), and four other smaller disaster programs authorized in the 2008 farm bill. The second section reviews the recent history of emergency supplemental farm disaster assistance.
Date: May 21, 2010
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Air Quality Issues and Animal Agriculture: A Primer

Description: This report reviews the types of air emissions from livestock and poultry operations and their human health and environmental impacts. It then discusses provisions of several federal laws concerned with environmental impacts, beginning with the Clean Water Act, because protecting water resources has been the primary regulatory focus regarding livestock and animal operations.
Date: May 21, 2010
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China-U.S. Trade Issues

Description: This report discusses the U.S.-China economic relationship and China's rapid expansion as a global economic market, both with respect to the current global economic crisis. It also examines major U.S.-China trade issues and related legislation.
Date: May 21, 2012
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2014 Appropriations

Description: This report will track and describe actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide FY2014 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. It also provides an overview of FY2013 appropriations for agencies and bureaus funded as a part of the annual appropriation for CJS.
Date: May 21, 2013
Creator: James, Nathan; Williams, Jennifer D. & Sargent, John F., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Membership and Appointment Authority to Advisory Commissions, Boards, and Groups

Description: This report contains a compilation of commissions and boards that demonstrate the range of alternative membership-appointment structures. It includes any statutorily-created advisory entity (boards, advisory panels, etc.) whose membership scheme mandates the participation of members of Congress either as potential members or as participants in the process of appointing the membership. For each entity, information on the purpose, duration, appointment structure, and term of appointment is provid… more
Date: May 21, 2014
Creator: Glassman, Matthew E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Earmark Disclosure Rules in the House: Member and Committee Requirements

Description: This report outlines the major administrative responsibilities of Members and committees of the House of Representatives associated with the chamber's earmark disclosure rules. Earmark disclosure rules in both the House and Senate were implemented with the stated intention of bringing more transparency to congressionally directed spending. The administrative responsibilities associated with these rules vary by chamber.
Date: May 21, 2015
Creator: Lynch, Megan S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fish and Wildlife Service: Compensation to Local Governments

Description: This report describes the key features of NRWF: the lands under FWS jurisdiction, the eligibility of most of those lands for NRWF payments, the source of revenue for the fund, the payment formula for calculating an individual county's payments, the PILT payments available for certain FWS lands, some exceptions to normal authorized payment calculations, changing authorization levels, and falling annual appropriations. It concludes with a review of options for changes in the program.
Date: May 21, 2014
Creator: Corn, M. Lynne
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Intelligence Authorization Legislation: Status and Challenges

Description: A look at the background of annual intelligence authorization acts until 2005. Discussion of the FY2005 Intelligence Authorization bill signed by President Bush, the FY2011 Intelligence Authorization Act passed by Congress and signed into P.L. 112-18 by President Obama, and the Intelligence Authorization for FY2012, which was signed into law by President Obama as P.L. 112-87.
Date: May 21, 2012
Creator: Grimmett, Richard F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Legal Services Corporation: Background and Funding

Description: This report discusses the responsibilities of Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which is a private, nonprofit, federally funded corporation that helps provide legal assistance to low-income people in civil (i.e., noncriminal) matters.
Date: May 21, 2015
Creator: Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The LIHEAP Formula

Description: This report discusses two types of formulas used to allocate funding to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) through regular and contingency funding.
Date: May 21, 2014
Creator: Perl, Libby
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws

Description: This report provides an overview of the legal precedent for mandatory vaccination laws, and of state laws that require certain individuals or populations, including school-aged children and health care workers, to be vaccinated against various communicable diseases. Also discussed are state laws providing for mandatory vaccinations during a public health emergency or outbreak of a communicable disease.
Date: May 21, 2014
Creator: Cole, Jared P. & Swendiman, Kathleen S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of Constitutional Challenges to NSA Collection Activities

Description: This report focuses on two main National Security Agency (NSA) collection activities approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978. The first is the bulk collection of telephony metadata for domestic and international telephone calls. The second involves the interception of Internet-based communications.
Date: May 21, 2015
Creator: Liu, Edward C. & Nolan, Andrew
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Prescription Drug Abuse

Description: This report examines prescription drug abuse in the United States. An estimated 6.8 million individuals currently abuse prescription drugs in the United States. Unlike policy on street drugs, federal policy on prescription drug abuse is complicated by the need to maintain access to prescription controlled substances (PCS) for legitimate medical use. The federal government has several roles in reducing prescription drug abuse.
Date: May 21, 2014
Creator: Bagalman, Erin; Sacco, Lisa N.; Thaul, Susan & Yeh, Brian T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board: New Independent Agency Status

Description: This report examines initial responses to the 9/11 Commission's call for a board to oversee adherence to presidential guidelines on information sharing that safeguard the privacy of individuals about whom information is shared, and the implementation of this board.
Date: May 21, 2010
Creator: Hatch, Garrett
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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