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Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR): Controversies for the 108th Congress

Description: This report discusses the ongoing debate about whether or not to approve energy development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Current law forbids energy leasing in the Refuge. This report addresses several legislative options on the issue, as well as policymakers' arguments for and against development, especially in the wake of increasing terrorism since 2000-2001.
Date: September 29, 2004
Creator: Corn, M. Lynne; Gelb, Bernard A. & Baldwin, Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Farm and Food Support Under USDA's Section 32 Program

Description: This report discusses “Section 32”, which is a permanent appropriation that since 1935 has earmarked the equivalent of 30% of annual customs receipts to support the farm sector through a variety of activities. Today, most of this appropriation (now approximately $6.5 billion yearly) is transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) account that funds child nutrition programs.
Date: September 29, 2004
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Government Debt: Its Size and Economic Significance

Description: This report explains the different measures of the U.S. government debt, discusses the historical growth in the debt, identifies the current owners of the debt, presents comparisons with the public debt in other countries, and examines the potential economic risks associated with a growing federal debt.
Date: September 9, 2004
Creator: Cashell, Brian W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fishery, Aquaculture, and Marine Mammal Online News and Information Sources

Description: A variety of free online sources can be used by Members of Congress and staff seeking current and breaking news on fisheries, aquaculture, and marine mammals. Services identified include newswires and news services, press release services, regional and topical newsletters, topical discussion groups, comprehensive resource archives, professional organizations, trade and interest organizations, government agencies and international commissions, and issue-specific sites. This summary does not atte… more
Date: September 15, 2004
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment

Description: This report is divided into two parts. The first gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the Flag Protection Act in 1968 through current consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme Court, Texas v. Johnson and United States v. Eichman, that struck down the state and federal flag protection statutes as applied in the context punishing expressive conduct.
Date: September 1, 2004
Creator: Luckey, John R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: A Legal Overview

Description: This report examines the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 was enacted principally to prevent corporate bribery of foreign officials. This act had three major parts: 1. It required the keeping by corporations of accurate books, records, and accounts; 2. It required issuers registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to maintain a responsible internal accounting control system; and 3. It prohibited bribery by American corporations of foreign officials.
Date: September 2, 2004
Creator: Seitzinger, Michael V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Free Trade Agreements and the WTO Exceptions

Description: World Trade Organization (WTO) Members must grant immediate and unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment to the products of other Members with respect to tariffs and other trade matters. Free trade agreements (FTA) are facially inconsistent with this obligation because they grant countries who are party to the agreement the ability to receive more favorable trade benefits than those extended to other trading partners. Due to the prevailing view that such arrangements are trade enhancin… more
Date: September 22, 2004
Creator: Grimmett, Jeanne J. & Tatelman, Todd B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FY2005 Budget Documents: Internet Access and GPO Availability

Description: Every year the President submits to Congress a series of volumes that provide the text of the President’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. Neither the Congressional Research Service (CRS) nor the Library of Congress can provide giveaway copies of these documents. This report provides brief descriptions of these budget volumes and related documents, together with Internet addresses, Government Printing Office (GPO) stock numbers, and prices to obtain these publications. It also tells … more
Date: September 16, 2004
Creator: Murray, Justin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Genocide: Legal Precedent Surrounding the Definition of the Crime

Description: This report presents a brief historical background on the U.N. Convention on the Prevention of Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, its ratification and implementation by the United States, and its incorporation into the Rome Statute creating an International Criminal Court.
Date: September 14, 2004
Creator: Derenzo, Judith & Garcia, Michael John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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“Good Samaritan” Tort Reform: Three House Bills

Description: This report discusses three 108th Congress tort reform bills: the Volunteer Pilot Organization Protection Act (H.R. 1084), the Good Samaritan Firefighter Assistance Act of 2003 (H.R. 1787), and the Nonprofit Athletic Organization Protection Act of 2003 (H.R. 3369).
Date: September 15, 2004
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Information Quality Act: OMB’s Guidance and Initial Implementation

Description: This report describes the IQA and OMB's and the agencies' information quality guidelines, noting how several key terms are defined, how risk-related information is to be treated, and how agencies' correction processes should be established. The report also reviews OMB's report on the first year of the IQA's implementation, focusing on the correction requests received during that period and how they were resolved. It also describes a critical comment on that report by a nongovernmental organizat… more
Date: September 17, 2004
Creator: Copeland, Curtis W. & Simpson, Michael
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Sharing for Homeland Security: A Brief Overview

Description: This report reviews some of the principal existing homeland security information sharing arrangements, as well as some projected arrangements in this regard, and discusses related policy, evaluations, and proposed legislation.
Date: September 22, 2004
Creator: Relyea, Harold C. & Seifert, Jeffrey W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraq Reconstruction Resources: Fact Sheet

Description: This fact sheet provides Internet links to the federal agencies or departments currently involved in the contracting process, along with their specific Iraq reconstruction programs underway or proposed. It provides overview information on federal agency contract solicitations, application procedures, and contact information where appropriate.
Date: September 23, 2004
Creator: Waterhouse, Michael & Smith, Carolyn C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Maine Emergency Management and Homeland Security Statutory Authorities Summarized

Description: This report is one of a series that profiles the emergency management and homeland security statutory authorities of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and three territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Each profile identifies the more significant elements of state statutes, generally as codified. This report focuses on the state of Maine.
Date: September 3, 2004
Creator: Bea, Keith; Runyon, L. Cheryl & Warnock, Kae M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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