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9/11 Commission Recommendations: The Senate Confirmation Process for Presidential Nominees

Description: On July 22, 2004, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, known as the 9/11 Commission, issued its final report, detailing the events up to and including the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the United States. The 9/11 Commission recommended that the Senate adopt rules requiring hearings and votes to confirm or reject national security nominees within 30 days of their submission at the start of each new presidential administration. Implementing the commissi… more
Date: March 23, 2005
Creator: Palmer, Betsy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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S. 147/H.R. 309: Process for Federal Recognition of a Native Hawaiian Governmental Entity

Description: From Summary: "This report describes the provisions of the reported version of S. 147; outlines some federal statutes and recent cases which might be relevant to the issue of federal recognition of a Hawaiian entity; and recounts some legal arguments that have been presented in the debate on this legislation."
Date: October 11, 2005
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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S. 147/H.R. 309: Process for Federal Recognition of a Native Hawaiian Governmental Entity

Description: S. 147/H.R. 309, companion bills introduced in the 109th Congress, represent an effort to accord to Native Hawaiians a means of forming a governmental entity that could enter into government-to-government relations with the United States. This report describes the provisions of the reported version of S. 147; outlines some federal statutes and recent cases which might be relevant to the issue of federal recognition of a Native Hawaiian entity; and recounts some legal arguments that have been pr… more
Date: September 27, 2005
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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S. 219: The National Employee Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee Act

Description: On July 26, 2005, the Senate Finance Committee approved S. 219, the “National Employee Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee (NESTEG) Act of 2005,” a bill to reform federal pension laws. This report summarizes the major provisions of the bill, as approved by the Committee.
Date: August 12, 2005
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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S. 852: The Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005

Description: From Summary: "This report provides an overview of S. 852, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act of 2005. The bill would largely remove asbestos claims from the courts in favor of the administrative process set out in the bill. The bill would establish the Office of Asbestos Disease Compensation to award damages to asbestos claimants on a no-fault basis from the Asbestos Injury Claims Resolution Fund."
Date: April 26, 2005
Creator: Brooks, Nathan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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S. 1783: The Pension Security and Transparency Act of 2005

Description: From Summary: "This report summarizes the major provisions of S. 1783, the Pension Security and Transparency Act 2005. The bill combines provisions of S. 219, the National Employee Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee Act, reported by the Finance Committee, and the Defined Benefit Security Act, reported by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions."
Date: October 18, 2005
Creator: Purcell, Patrick
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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S. 1783: The Pension Security and Transparency Act of 2005

Description: On September 28, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions announced that they had reached a compromise on a pension reform bill for consideration by the full Senate. The compromise bill has been introduced as S. 1783, “The Pension Security and Transparency Act of 2005.” S. 1783 combines provisions of S. 219, “The National Employee Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee Act,” reported by the Finance Committee, and “The Defined Benefit Security A… more
Date: October 3, 2005
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Abortion: Justice O'Connor's Opinions

Description: This report examines Justice O'Connor's notable opinions on abortion, and explores her role in the development of the undue burden standard, adopted in 1992. Under the new standard, a reviewing court would consider whether an abortion restriction has the effect of imposing an "undue burden" on a woman's right to obtain an abortion.
Date: July 15, 2005
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Abortion: Legislative Response

Description: The primary focus of this issue brief is legislative action with respect to abortion. However, discussion of those legislative proposals necessarily involves a brief discussion of the leading U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate her pregnancy. For a more detailed discussion of the relevant case law, see CRS Report 95-724, Abortion Law Development: A Brief Overview.
Date: June 17, 2005
Creator: Lewis, Karen J. & Jon, Shimbukuro O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Abortion: Legislative Response

Description: The primary focus of this issue brief is legislative action with respect to abortion. However, discussion of those legislative proposals necessarily involves a brief discussion of the leading U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate her pregnancy. For a more detailed discussion of the relevant case law, see CRS Report 95-724, Abortion Law Development: A Brief Overview.
Date: April 5, 2005
Creator: Lewis, Karen J.; Shimabukuro, Jon O. & Ely, Dana
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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An Abridged View of the Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act (H.R. 1279)

Description: This report summarizes the Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act (H.R. 1279) and its effects. This includes information such as an increase in criminal penalties assigned to violent crimes and expanding the instances where juveniles could be tried as adults. For more information see CRS Report RL32946 "Gang Deterrence A Legal Analysis of H.R. 1279 With References to S. 155.
Date: June 13, 2005
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Acceptance of Gifts of Free Meals by Members of Congress

Description: This report outlines the rules by which Congress may accept free meals from outside private third parties. The report highlights that the most common exceptions to this rule are of de minimis value (under 50 dollars). Moreover, the report specifies that gifts from foreign agents, lobbyists, and those who have direct interest in congressional legislation are of the most concern.
Date: August 26, 2005
Creator: Maskell, Jack
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Access to Government Information In the United States

Description: The Constitution of the United States makes no specific allowance for any one of the co-equal branches to have access to information held by the others and contains no provision expressly establishing a procedure for, or a right of, public access to government information. Nonetheless, Congress has legislated various public access laws. These include two records access statutes — the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act — and two meetings access statutes — the Federal Advisory Com… more
Date: January 7, 2005
Creator: Relyea, Harold C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Access to Government Information in the United States

Description: The Constitution of the United States makes no specific allowance for any one of the co-equal branches to have access to information held by the others and contains no provision expressly establishing a procedure for, or a right of, public access to government information. Nonetheless, Congress has legislated various public access laws. These include two records access statutes — the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) — and two meetings access statutes… more
Date: January 7, 2005
Creator: Relyea, Harold C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Accounting and Management Problems at Freddie Mac

Description: This report summarizes the extent of accounting and management problems at Freddie Mac. The report highlights the issues of selecting policies to report constant earnings, and undertaking certain transactions for the sake of creating a facade of reported earnings. Finally, the report discusses the consequences of these problems by stating that many of the Freddie Mac's executives have been replaced, fines were issued, and a lawsuit occurred.
Date: November 15, 2005
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Accounting Problems at Fannie Mae

Description: On September 22, 2004, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Supervision (OFHEO) made public a report that was highly critical of accounting methods at Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored enterprise that plays a leading role in the secondary mortgage market. OFHEO charged Fannie Mae with not following generally accepted accounting practices in two critical areas: (1) amortization of discounts, premiums, and fees involved in the purchase of home mortgages and (2) accounting for financial der… more
Date: November 15, 2005
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Accreditation and the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act

Description: This report summarizes the issues with reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA) and highlights accreditation in particular. One consideration the report contains is the possibility of Congress changing the role accreditation plays in reference to financial aid for students. Moreover, the report considers the place of accreditation in reference to the overall quality of an academic institution.
Date: July 13, 2005
Creator: Skinner, Rebecca R. & Feder, Jody
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Active Military Sonar and Marine Mammals: Events and References

Description: The deployment of active sonar by the U.S. Navy and its potential impacts on marine mammals has been an ongoing issue of intense debate; regulatory, legislative, and judicial activity; and international concern. This report summarizes legal and political events related to active sonar and marine mammals since 1994. This report summarizes some of the more significant recent events pertaining to active military sonar, in particular.
Date: November 3, 2005
Creator: Buck, Eugene H. & Calvert, Kori
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Active Military Sonar and Marine Mammals: Events and References

Description: The deployment of active sonar by the U.S. Navy and its potential impacts on marine mammals has been an ongoing issue of intense debate; regulatory, legislative, and judicial activity; and international concern. This report summarizes legal and political events related to active sonar and marine mammals since 1994. This report summarizes some of the more significant recent events pertaining to active military sonar, in particular.
Date: November 22, 2005
Creator: Buck, Eugene H. & Calvert, Kori
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Active Sonar and Marine Mammals: Chronology with References

Description: The deployment of active sonar by the U.S. Navy and its potential impacts on marine mammals has been an ongoing issue of intense debate; regulatory, legislative, and judicial activity; and international concern. This report provides a chronology of significant events and documents since 1994.
Date: June 1, 2005
Creator: Calvert, Kori & Buck, Eugene H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Active Sonar and Marine Mammals: Chronology with References

Description: The deployment of active sonar by the U.S. Navy and its potential impacts on marine mammals has been an ongoing issue of intense debate; regulatory, legislative, and judicial activity; and international concern. This report provides a chronology of significant events and documents since 1994.
Date: June 22, 2005
Creator: Calvert, Kori & Buck, Eugene H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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