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Bringing Peace to Chechnya? Assessments and Implications

Description: Russia's then-Premier Vladimir Putin ordered military, police, and security forces to enter the breakaway Chechnya region in September 1999, and these forces occupied most of the region by early 2000. The conflict has resulted in thousands of military and civilian casualties and the massive destruction of housing and infrastructure. Putin's rise to power and continuing popularity have been tied at least partly to his perceived ability to prosecute this conflict successfully. This report detail… more
Date: February 20, 2004
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Budget Reconciliation Process: The Senate's "Byrd" Rule

Description: Reconciliation is a procedure under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 by which Congress implements budget resolution policies affecting mainly permanent spending and revenue programs. The principal focus in the reconciliation process has been deficit reduction, but in recent years reconciliation has encompassed revenue reduction generally and spending increases in selected program areas. The Byrd rule provides six definitions of what constitutes extraneous matter for purposes of the rule (an… more
Date: February 19, 2004
Creator: Keith, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bundling Residential Telephone, Internet, and Video Services: Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses bundling and public policy issues for Congress. The federal Universal Service Fund - the federal subsidy program that assures affordable telephone rates for high-cost (rural) and low-income telephone customers as well as for schools, libraries, and rural health facilities - is supported by an assessment on interstate telecommunications revenues only. But it is difficult to identify the portion of revenues generated by a bundled service offering attributable to the intersta… more
Date: February 17, 2004
Creator: Goldfarb, Charles B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance: Constitutional and Legal Issues of Soft Money

Description: Prior to enactment of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), P.L. 107-155, the term “soft money” generally referred to unregulated funds, perceived as resulting from loopholes in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), 2 U.S.C. §§ 431 et seq. Generally, the intent of BCRA, (effective Nov. 6, 2002), which amends FECA, is to restrict the raising and spending of soft money. This Issue Brief discusses constitutional and legal issues surrounding two major types of soft money that BCRA … more
Date: February 4, 2004
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Budget Resolutions: Selected Statistics and Information Guide

Description: This report provides current and historical information on the budget resolution. It provides a list of the budget resolutions adopted and rejected by Congress since implementation of the CBA, including the U.S. Statutes-at-Large citations and committee report numbers, and describes their formulation and content. The report provides a table of selected optional components, a list of reconciliation measures, and information on the number of years covered by budget resolutions. It also provides i… more
Date: February 9, 2004
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Continuity of Operations (COOP): An Overview of Concepts and Challenges

Description: Interruptions of congressional operations by incidents such as episodic computer virus infections and the 2001 anthrax contamination, the February 2004 ricin incident have demonstrated the importance of congressional continuity of operations (COOP) planning. This report discusses the circumstances surrounding COOP planning, including provisions for alternative meeting sites and methods for conducting House and Senate meetings and floor sessions when Capitol facilities are not available.
Date: February 3, 2004
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric & Seifert, Jeffery W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Conservation Security Program in the 2002 Farm Bill

Description: The Conservation Security Program (CSP), a new program enacted in section 2001 of the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) and administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, creates a three-tiered system rewarding increased levels of conservation on agricultural operations with increased payments. Payments include a base payment for acreage enrolled, a payment for new or existing conservation practices, and an “enhancement” payment for conservation exceeding minimum program standards.
Date: February 17, 2004
Creator: Johnson, Barbara
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Country Applicability of the U.S. Normal Trade Relations (Most-Favored-Nation) Status

Description: This report provides information about the Country Applicability of the U.S. Normal Trade Relations (Most-Favored-Nation) Status. The united states extends unlimitedand permanent nondiscriminatory treatment to all of its trading partners.
Date: February 23, 2004
Creator: Pregelj, Vladimir N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Country Applicability of the U.S. Normal Trade Relations (Most-Favored-Nation) Status

Description: The United States accords permanent normal-trade-relations (NTR) (formerly called most-favored-nation (MFN)) treatment to all its trading partners except six countries to which it is denied by law and 11 countries whose NTR status is temporary and subject to the conditions of Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974.
Date: February 23, 2004
Creator: Pregelj, Vladimir N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation

Description: The nation's health, wealth, and security rely on the production and distribution of certain goods and services. The array of physical assets, functions, and systems across which these goods and services move are called critical infrastructures. This report discusses in more detail the evolution of a national critical infrastructure policy and the institutional structures established to implement it. The report highlights five issues of Congressional concern: identifying critical assets; assess… more
Date: February 4, 2004
Creator: Moteff, John D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Current Economic Conditions and Selected Forecasts

Description: This report begins with a comprehensive presentation of current economic conditions focusing on income growth, unemployment, and inflation. The posture of monetary and fiscal policy is surveyed as are the forecasts of economic activity. It concludes with data on the factors important for economic growth.
Date: February 17, 2004
Creator: Makinen, Gail
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Early Childhood Education: Federal Policy Issues

Description: This report examines what we currently know about preprimary programs including numbers of children served and their family characteristics; as well as data on the efficacy of preprimary programs in enhancing later learning and other life skills. Current federal programs that serve preschool age children are described, and policy issues which may arise as the federal role in early childhood education is debated, are discussed.
Date: February 20, 2004
Creator: McCallion, Gail
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Tax Policy

Description: This report brief discusses the history, current posture, and outlook for federal energy tax policy.
Date: February 20, 2004
Creator: Lazzari, Salvatore
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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