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Brazil in Crisis

Description: This report examines the current political and economic climate in Brazil, which is in the midst of severe economic and political crises that are closely intertwined and unlikely to be resolved quickly.
Date: July 6, 2016
Creator: Meyer, Peter J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Corporate Inversions: Frequently Asked Legal Questions

Description: This report answers frequently-asked legal questions about corporate inversions. It answers questions relating to the scope and operation of Section 7874, including how key statutory terms have been interpreted by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It discusses important Department of Treasury regulations that were finalized in 2015 and 2016, and answers questions about the IRS's authority to issue these regulations. Other questions that are answered relate to legislation introduced in the 114… more
Date: September 7, 2016
Creator: Lunder, Erika K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Slow Growth in the Current U.S. Economic Expansion

Description: This report summarizes the U.S. economic growth record and reviews a number of explanations forwarded by economists for why this expansion has featured slow growth. Some explanations focus on short-term factors that would not be expected to persist, while others focus on long-term changes to the economy. The report does not discuss labor market conditions, except in the context of how they contribute to the pace of GDP growth.
Date: June 24, 2016
Creator: Keightley, Mark P.; Labonte, Marc & Stupak, Jeffrey M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Buy American Act--Preferences for "Domestic" Supplies: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the Buy American Act of 1933, which is the earliest and arguably the best known of various statutes regarding federal procurement of domestic products. The act attempts to protect U.S. businesses and labor by restricting the acquisition and use of end products or construction materials that are not "domestic."
Date: April 26, 2016
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Job Creation in the Manufacturing Revival

Description: This report examines the current status of the manufacturing sector in the U.S., which is a subject of ongoing interest in Congress. After rebounding from the 2007-09 recession, U.S. manufacturing output has grown little since the second half of 2014. Over the same period, employment in the U.S. manufacturing sector has been flat. These trends defy expectations that forces such as higher labor costs in the emerging economies of Asia, heightened concern about the risk of disruptions to long, com… more
Date: June 28, 2016
Creator: Levinson, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Athletic Footwear for the Military: The Berry Amendment Controversy

Description: This report briefly examines issues regarding the Berry Amendment, which is a 1941 federal law (10 U.S.C. §2533a) requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to purchase only wholly American-made clothing, textiles, and other essential items for the military.
Date: June 10, 2016
Creator: Platzer, Michaela D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA): Congressional Interest and Executive Enforcement, In Brief

Description: This report briefly discusses the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act of 1977 (FCPA), which was intended to prevent corporate bribery of foreign officials. Criticisms of the act's operation and scope began almost immediately after its passage and have continued. This report addresses these criticisms.
Date: March 15, 2016
Creator: Seitzinger, Michael V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Protection of Trade Secrets: Overview of Current Law and Legislation

Description: This report provides an overview of existing federal, state, and international laws governing trade secret protection, describes the limitations of these legal regimes, and reviews pending legislation, the Defend Trade Secrets Act (S. 1890), that is intended to address such deficiencies.
Date: April 22, 2016
Creator: Yeh, Brian T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Alaska Natural Gas Pipelines: Interaction of the Natural Gas and Steel Markets

Description: In 1976, Congress approved legislation to establish the regulatory framework for building a pipeline to bring natural gas from the Alaska North Slope to the lower 48 states. This report focuses on two major issues or uncertainties that may serve as economic constraints on a capital investment undertaking of this major scale.
Date: November 2, 2006
Creator: Cooney, Stephen & Pirog, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Brazil in Crisis

Description: Brazil is in the midst of deepening economic and political crises that are closely intertwined and unlikely to be resolved quickly. This report briefly examines the political situation and discusses public opinion regarding the Rousseff Administration.
Date: April 6, 2016
Creator: Meyer, Peter J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Tax Policy

Description: This report discusses the history, current posture, and outlook for federal energy tax policy. It also discusses recent energy tax proposals, focusing on the major energy tax provisions that were debated as part of omnibus energy legislation in the 108th Congress (e.g., H.R. 6), which may be reintroduced in the 109th Congress.
Date: April 22, 2005
Creator: Lazzari, Salvatore
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dairy Policy Issues

Description: This report discusses several dairy issues that have been or are being considered by the 109th Congress, some of which affect the three major federal dairy policy tools -- the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program, federal milk marketing orders, and the dairy price support program.
Date: May 24, 2006
Creator: Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bankruptcy for Marijuana Businesses?

Description: This legal sidebar discusses recent bankruptcy court cases that suggest that one such risk may be the ultimate unavailability to both debtors and creditors of the protections, benefits, and predictability of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code when state-regulated marijuana businesses fail.
Date: October 29, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Postal Reform

Description: This report examines the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS's) financial crisis and the resulting legislative action. Although its short-term financial performance has improved, the USPS faces severe long-term financial straits, largely due to digital alternatives. USPS has a negative net worth and mounting obligations for retiree health benefits.
Date: March 25, 2005
Creator: Stevens, Nye
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Local Food Systems: Selected Farm Bill and Other Federal Programs

Description: This report examines the federal support of local food systems, such as sales of locally-produced foods which comprise a small but growing part of U.S. agricultural sales.
Date: February 5, 2016
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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What Does the Gig Economy Mean for Workers?

Description: This report provides an overview of the gig economy -- i.e., the collection of markets that match providers to consumers on a gig (or job) basis in support of on-demand commerce (e.g., Uber, TaskRabbit) -- and identifies legal and policy questions relevant to its workforce.
Date: February 5, 2016
Creator: Donovan, Sarah A.; Bradley, David H. & Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Methods of Estimating the Total Cost of Federal Regulations

Description: This report analyzes these two approaches for estimating the total cost of federal regulations. In discussing each approach, the report provides an overview of the advantages, a brief case study, and an analysis of the potential issues or inherent problems using the case study to illustrate the concepts.
Date: January 21, 2016
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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GAO Bid Protests: An Overview of Time Frames and Procedures

Description: This report provides an overview of the time frames and procedures in a Government Accountability Office (GAO) bid protest, including (1) what issues can be protested with GAO; (2) who can file or be a party to a GAO protest; (3) the procedures for bringing and resolving GAO protests; (4) the time frames involved in GAO protests; (5) the automatic stay of contract award or performance triggered by a GAO protest, as well as the basis for agency overrides of automatic stays and judicial review of… more
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Manuel, Kate M. & Schwartz, Moshe
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Tax Relief: Proposals in the 108th Congress and Their Economic Justification

Description: This report examines the economic arguments for and against small business tax subsidies in the context of current congressional proposals to expand them. It begins with a brief description of current federal tax subsidies for small firms, moves on to consider the principal economic arguments for and against these subsidies, and concludes with a discussion of proposals in the 108th Congress to expand small business tax subsidies and their likely economic effects.
Date: May 9, 2003
Creator: Guenther, Gary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Issues, Options, and Prospects for Renewal

Description: This report presents background on the development of TPA, a summary of the major provisions under the recently expired authority, and a discussion of the issues that have arisen in the debate over TPA renewal. It also explores the policy options available to Congress and will be updated as the congressional debate unfolds.
Date: July 12, 2007
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F. & Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Softwood Lumber Imports from Canada: Issues and Events

Description: This report provides a concise historical account of the dispute over softwood lumber imports from Canada, summarizes the subsidy and injury evidence, and discusses current issues and events.
Date: March 22, 2006
Creator: Gorte, Ross W. & Grimmett, Jeanne J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FCC Media Ownership Rules: Current Status and Issues for Congress

Description: This report analyzes each of the areas that has changed as a result of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) actions and Court decisions. The various positions in the debate also are summarized.
Date: March 13, 2007
Creator: Goldfarb, Charles B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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