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Independent Counsels, Special Prosecutors, Special Counsels, and the Role of Congress

Description: Report that provides information on the procedure for the appointment of an "independent counsel," a "special prosecutor," or a "special counsel" to investigate and prosecute potential or possible violations of federal criminal law by officials in the executive branch of the federal government and in federal agencies.
Date: June 20, 2013
Creator: Maskell, Jack
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Monopoly and Monopolization - Fundamental But Separate Concepts in U.S. Antitrust Law

Description: This report illustrates the difference between the concepts of “monopoly” and “monopolization” by touching on the monopoly/monopolization thinking in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as illustrated in (1) statements on merger enforcement made by recent antitrust enforcement officials (generally indicative of the agencies’ concerns about competitive conditions and the effect of various market transactions), (2) the 1992 Horizontal … more
Date: June 28, 1999
Creator: Rubin, Janice E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy and Water Development: FY2015 Appropriations

Description: This report discusses the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill that provides funding for civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), for the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Department of Energy (DOE), and several independent agencies.
Date: June 1, 2014
Creator: Holt, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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General Overview of United States Antitrust Law

Description: This Report briefly summarizes (1) the primary United States antitrust statutes, and (2) some of the activities which are generally considered to be violations of those laws. There is also some reference to the prohibition against unfair competition and the “unfairness” jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The laws discussed do not constitute all of the statutes which may be applicable to, or implicated in antitrust issues, but rather, are those which are most often utilized.
Date: June 18, 2001
Creator: Rubin, Janice E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Arbitration Act: Background and Recent Developments

Description: Enacted in 1925, the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) seeks to ensure the validity and enforcement of arbitration agreements in any “maritime transaction or a contract evidencing a transaction involving commerce.” This report provides a brief legislative history of the FAA, as well as a review of selected cases that have interpreted the FAA. The report also discusses bills introduced during the 107th Congress that would amend the FAA for various purposes. Of the nine measures that have been intr… more
Date: June 17, 2002
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996: A Summary

Description: The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is the product of legislative efforts stretching back well over a decade and stimulated to passage in part by the tragedies in Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center. This report summarizes the six titles of the Act, its sources, and related legislation.
Date: June 3, 1996
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Domestic Federal Law Enforcement Coordination: Through the Lens of the Southwest Border

Description: This report discusses the law enforcement task forces and intelligence information sharing centers. The report focuses on those task forces and information sharing efforts that respond to federal counterdrug and counterterrorism priorities in the Southwest border region.
Date: June 3, 2014
Creator: Bjelopera, Jerome P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance: Issues Before the U.S. Supreme Court in McConnell v. FEC

Description: This report provides a summary of the issues presented by 12 groups of appellants in their jurisdictional statements in 2003. Shortly after the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), P.L. 107-155 (H.R. 2356, 107th Cong.) was enacted in March 2002 (also known as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform legislation), Senator Mitch McConnell and others filed suit in U.S. District Court for D.C. against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)… more
Date: June 20, 2003
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues

Description: This report discusses the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and legal challenges to it. It reviews legal principles applied to determine the validity of a marriage contracted in another state and surveys the various approaches employed by states to address same-sex marriage. It also examines previous congressional resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment and limiting federal courts' jurisdiction to hear or determine any question pertaining to the interpretation of DOMA.
Date: June 9, 2009
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
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 the… more
Date: June 27, 2008
Creator: Kim, Yule
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA): Liability of Responsible Parties

Description: The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) establishes a framework that addresses the liability of responsible parties in connection with the discharge of oil into the navigable waters of the United States, adjoining shorelines, or the exclusive economic zone. Among other provisions, OPA limits certain liabilities of a responsible party in connection with discharges of oil into such areas. This report addresses liability under OPA for removal costs and damages, and the basic procedure for recovering r… more
Date: June 2, 2010
Creator: Nichols, James E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS): Background and Funding

Description: The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program was created by Title I of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-322). The mission of the COPS program is to advance community policing in all jurisdictions across the United States. Legislation introduced in the 111th Congress would reauthorize the COPS program through FY2014 and reestablish COPS as a multi-grant program. This report provides an overview and analysis of issues Congress might choose to consider… more
Date: June 2, 2011
Creator: James, Nathan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Ownership of Property in the United States: Federal and State Restrictions

Description: This report examines various legal issues raised by Federal and State laws restricting foreign ownership in U. S. property. The report examines the constitutional barriers to Federal and State laws restricting such ownership, and the possible constitutional predicates for Federal legislation regulating foreign ownership of property in the united States. The impact of treaties to which the United States is a party on both Federal and State restrictions on the rights of foreign persons to own U.S… more
Date: June 23, 1980
Creator: Zaritsky, Howard
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Liability Insurance Crisis

Description: This report discusses liability insurance crisis, including complaints from businesses, professionals , and municipalities as well threat of lawsuits.
Date: June 1, 1987
Creator: Cohen, Henry & Whiteman, David
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Liability Insurance Crisis

Description: This report discusses liability insurance crisis, including complaints from businesses, professionals , and municipalities as well threat of lawsuits.
Date: June 1, 1987
Creator: Cohen, Henry & Whiteman, David
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Air Quality and Transportation Enhancement Provisions in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991

Description: This report describes how the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) and enhancement programs function, examines the policy issues surrounding them, and summarizes relevant provisions in major legislation to reauthorize ISTEA in the 105th Congress.
Date: June 10, 1998
Creator: Bearden, David M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare Prescription Drug and Reform Legislation

Description: This report describes the major features of S. 1, as ordered reported, and the measure to be considered by the House Ways and Means Committee, H.R. 2473, as ordered reported.
Date: June 19, 2003
Creator: O'Sullivan, Jennifer; Chaikind, Hinda Ripps; Tilson, Sibyl L.; Boulanger, Jennifer & Morgan, Paulette C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Taxpayer Protections in the IRS Restructuring Bill: Attorneys' Fees and Damages for IRS Abuses

Description: This report discusses the proposals to expand a court's authority to award attorneys' fees and costs in certain cases and the proposal to permit a taxpayer to collect damages for negligent collection actions by IRS agents. These provisions are covered in sections 311 and 312 of the House version and in sections 3101 and 3102 of the Senate version.
Date: June 15, 1998
Creator: Morris, Marie B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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”Dirty Bombs”: Background in Brief

Description: This report examines the legislation and oversight by Congress to protect the United States against terrorist threats, especially from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. Radiological dispersal devices (RDDs) are one type of CBRN weapon. Explosive-driven "dirty bombs" are an often-discussed type of RDD, though radioactive material can also be dispersed in other ways. This report also provides background for understanding the RDD threat and responses.
Date: June 24, 2011
Creator: Medalia, Jonathan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues

Description: This report discusses Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and legal challenges to it. It reviews legal principles applied to determine the validity of a marriage contracted in another state and surveys the various approaches employed by states to enable or to prevent same-sex marriage. The report also examines House and Senate resolutions introduced in previous Congresses proposing a constitutional amendment and limiting federal courts' jurisdiction to hear or determine any question pertaining to th… more
Date: June 8, 2012
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Broadband Data Privacy and Security: What's Net Neutrality Got to Do With It?

Description: This report is the third in a series discussing the potential impact of the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to reclassify broadband Internet access services (BIAS). This report focuses on the proposal's possible effect on the regulation of BIAS providers' privacy practices.
Date: June 8, 2017
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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