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The Endangered Species Act and "Sound Science"

Description: This report provides a context for evaluating legislative proposals through examples of how science has been used in selected cases, a discussion of the nature and role of science in general, and its role in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) process in particular, together with general and agency information quality requirements and policies, and a review of how the courts have viewed agency use of science.
Date: September 27, 2007
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. L.; Baldwin, Pamela & Alexander, Kristina
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Statutes: What They Are and Where to Find Them

Description: This report provides a brief overview of federal statutes and where to find them, both in print and on the internet. When Congress passes a law, it may amend or repeal earlier enactments or it may write on a clean slate. After providing an overview on the basics of federal statutes, this report gives guidance on where federal statutes, in their various forms, may be located on the Internet.
Date: December 27, 2007
Creator: Foley, Cassandra L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Tort Claims Act

Description: The Federal Tort Claims Act is the statute by which the United States authorizes tort suits to be brought against itself. With exceptions, it makes the United States liable for injuries caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any federal employee acting within the scope of his employment, in accordance with the law of the state where the act or omission occurred. This report discusses, among other things, the application of the Feres doctrine to suits for injuries caused by medicā€¦ more
Date: April 27, 2009
Creator: Cohen, Henry & Cohen, Henry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Intellectual Property Rights Violations: Federal Civil Remedies and Criminal Penalties Related to Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents, and Trade Secrets

Description: This report provides background information and issues for Congress on multiyear procurement (MYP) and block buy contracting (BBC), which are special contracting mechanisms that Congress permits the Department of Defense (DOD) to use for a limited number of defense acquisition programs.
Date: May 27, 2016
Creator: Yeh, Brian T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Protecting the U.S. Perimeter: "Border Searches" Under the Fourth Amendment

Description: This report addresses the scope of the government's authority to search and seize individuals at the border pursuant to the constitutional framework that encompasses the border search exception to the warrant and probable cause requirements of the Fourth Amendment. This report also describes the varying levels of suspicion generally associated with each type of border search as interpreted by the courts. In addition, this report highlights some of the border security recommendations made by theā€¦ more
Date: June 27, 2008
Creator: Kim, Yule
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Judge Merrick Garland: His Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court

Description: This report provides an overview of Judge Garland's jurisprudence and discusses what the impact on the Court might be if he, or a judge of a similar judicial approach, were to be confirmed to succeed Justice Scalia. The report begins with his views on two overarching issues -- the role of the judiciary and statutory interpretation -- it then addresses 14 separate areas of law, which are arranged in alphabetical order from "administrative law" to "takings."
Date: April 27, 2016
Creator: Nolan, Andrew; Manuel, Kate M. & Murrill, Brandon J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Office of Congressional Ethics: History, Authority, and Procedures

Description: This report describes the history and rationale behind the creation of the OCE, its operations, and its relationship with the House Committee on Ethics, and options potentially available for Congress if further amendments to the House ethics process are desired.
Date: January 27, 2015
Creator: Straus, Jacob R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Supreme Court Opinions: October 2004 Term

Description: This report contains synopses of Supreme Court decisions issued from the beginning of the October 2004 Term through the end of the Term on June 27, 2005. Included in this listing are all cases decided by signed opinion and selected cases decided per curiam. In addition to the summary, the date of decision is indicated and cites to United States Law Week and Westā€™s Supreme Court Reporter are provided. Following each synopsis, the vote on the Courtā€™s holding is indicated in bold typeface, and autā€¦ more
Date: July 27, 2005
Creator: Costello, George
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Affiliates in Banking, Finance, and Commerce: Development and Regulatory Background

Description: The proliferation of corporate affiliates in banking, finance, and commerce has figured in discussion of several policy issues, including how to protect against (1) losses incurred by affiliated companies; (2) anticompetitive ā€œtyingā€ of bank and nonbank financial services; and (3) misuse of financial data of consumers. This report outlines the nature and evolution of affiliates, primarily from a regulatory perspective. It provides background for discussing financial issues involving corporate aā€¦ more
Date: April 27, 2005
Creator: Jackson, William D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Multilateral Development Banks: U.S. Contributions FY1998-FY2009

Description: This report shows in tabular form how much the Administration requested and how much Congress appropriated during the past 11 years for U.S. payments to the multilateral development banks (MDBs). It also provides a brief description of the MDBs and the ways they fund their operations.
Date: January 27, 2010
Creator: Sanford, Jonathan E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Brief History of Comprehensive Immigration Reform Efforts in the 109th and 110th Congresses to Inform Policy Discussions in the 113th Congress

Description: This report opens with brief legislative histories of "comprehensive immigration reform" (CIR) in the 109th and 110th Congresses. A comparative overview of key CIR provisions in the three bills that received floor action in the 109th and 110th Congresses follows. In addition to a narrative discussion of how the bills addressed the main provisions of CIR, the report provides a table that presents a comparative summary of the key features of the bills. The report concludes with observations contrā€¦ more
Date: February 27, 2013
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Insurance Regulation: Background, Overview, and Legislation in the 114th Congress

Description: This report discusses insurance regulatory issues addressed by legislation in the 114th Congress including the degree of the authority of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) over insurers (H.R. 1478/S. 798), international insurance standards (S. 1086 and H.R. 2141), and the licensing of insurance agents and brokers (H.R. 26/P.L. 114-1).
Date: May 27, 2015
Creator: Webel, Baird
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Treatment of Noncitizens Under the Affordable Care Act

Description: This report provides information regarding the treatment of noncitizens under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) including definitions of "lawfully present," the health insurance mandate, exchanges, and ACA changes to Medicaid. It also discusses the verification of alien status under the ACA and related legislation in the 113th Congress.
Date: October 27, 2016
Creator: Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization: An Overview of Selected Provisions in Proposed Legislation Considered by the 110th Congress

Description: The report is intended to provide a brief summary and analysis of major legislative provisions in bills related to reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration and related aviation programs that were considered during the 110th Congress.
Date: January 27, 2009
Creator: Elias, Bart
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Unaccompanied Alien Children--Legal Issues: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report addresses the questions regarding the numbers of unaccompanied alien children involved, their reasons for coming to the United States, and current and potential responses of the federal government and other entities to their arrival.
Date: June 27, 2014
Creator: Manuel, Kate M. & Garcia, Michael John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Cap-and-Trade Bills in the 110th Congress

Description: This report discusses different amendments (i.e., S.2191, S. 3036) that would create market-based greenhouse gas reduction. This report presents a side-by-side comparison of the major provisions of those bills and includes a glossary of common terms (Appendix C).
Date: June 27, 2008
Creator: Parker, Larry; Yacobucci, Brent D. & Ramseur, Jonathan L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

Description: This report provides background on the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP), originally established in 1981 by Title XXVI of P.L. 97-35 and reauthorized several times. It is a block grant program under which the federal government gives states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and commonwealths, and Indian tribal organizations (referred to as grantees) annual grants to operate multi-component home energy assistance programs for needy households.
Date: January 27, 2003
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A Resurgence of Unaccompanied Alien Children?

Description: This report briefly examines the recently-high number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC). In the first seven months of FY2016, apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border have approached levels close to what they were in FY2014 when such migration flows reached what were characterized as "crisis" proportions.
Date: May 27, 2016
Creator: Kandel, William A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Government's Plenary Immigration Power Collides with the Constitutional Right to an Abortion (Part 1)

Description: This report is the first in a two-part series discussing "Garza v. Hargan", a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit involving a detained unaccompanied alien minor and the right to terminate a pregnancy. The facts of the case and a discussion of the court's decision and whether the Health and Human Services Department policy regarding abortions unduly burdens a woman's right to an abortion is discussed.
Date: November 27, 2017
Creator: Smith, Hillel R. & Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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