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Health Insurance: A Primer

Description: This report provides information related to health insurance. The content includes what it is, why is it needed, health insurance regulation, and how are private health benefits delivered and financed.
Date: February 3, 2005
Creator: Fernandez, Bernadette
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Charitable Contributions of Food Inventory: Proposals for Change

Description: Early in the 109th Congress, both S. 6, the Family and Community Protection Act of 2005, and S. 94, the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act, have been introduced to encourage gifts of food by businesses for charitable purposes. While current law provides a deduction only to C corporations, these bills would expand the tax break to all business entities. The value of the existing deduction is the corporation’s basis in the donated product plus one half of the amount of appreciation, a… more
Date: January 31, 2005
Creator: Talley, Louis Alan & Jackson, Pamela J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Comparison of Tax Incentives of Domestic Manufacturing: 108th Congress

Description: The enacted provision of this legislation (H.R. 4520), following the passage of the Senate’s version (then S. 1637) and the House bill (H.R. 4520) followed the Senate version, which allowed a deduction and would cover unincorporated firms as well as corporations. However, the proposal contained the broader definition of manufacturing in the House bill which included oil and gas extraction, utilities, construction, and electricity. This report discusses the provisions in these two versions of th… more
Date: January 25, 2005
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Bunker Busters": Sources of Confusion in the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator Debate

Description: Earth penetrator weapons, often called “bunker busters,” burrow into the ground some tens of feet before detonating, greatly increasing their ability to destroy buried targets. The United States has several types of conventional earth penetrators. The Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) are studying a more effective penetrator, the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP). The FY2005 defense authorization act contained the full RNEP request, $27.6 million. This repor… more
Date: January 10, 2005
Creator: Medalia, Jonathan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy

Description: There is an on-going interest in the pace of U.S. technological advancement due to its influence on U.S. economic growth, productivity, and international competitiveness. Because technology can contribute to economic growth and productivity increases, congressional interest has focused on how to augment private-sector technological development. Legislative activity over the past decade has created a policy for technology development, albeit an ad hoc one. Because of the lack of consensus on the… more
Date: January 10, 2005
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator Budget Request and Plan, FY2005-FY2009

Description: Earth penetrator weapons often called “bunker busters,” burrow into the ground some tens of feet before detonating, greatly increasing their ability to destroy buried targets. The United States has several types of conventional earth penetrators. The current U.S. nuclear earth penetrator, the B61-11 bomb, cannot penetrate certainly types of terrain in which hardened underground facilities may be located, so the Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) are studying a mor… more
Date: January 10, 2005
Creator: Medalia, Jonathan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dairy Policy Issues

Description: Several dairy issues that were debated during the 108th Congress are expected to continue as issues of interest in the 109th Congress. Separate bills were introduced in the 108th Congress to extend authority for both the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program and the dairy forward pricing pilot program, and to address dairy producer concerns about the importation of milk protein concentrates.
Date: January 7, 2005
Creator: Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Senate's Calendar of Business

Description: This report provides a summary of the contents of the Senate's Calendar of Business, which lists bills, resolutions, and other items of legislative business that are eligible for floor consideration.
Date: January 4, 2005
Creator: Palmer, Betsy & Bach, Stanley
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Barriers to Corporate Fraud: How They Work, Why They Fail

Description: The report focuses on the internal controls on American corporations (including corporate governance, business ethics, managerial structure and compensation, internal counsel, and whistleblowers), as well as external controls (government regulation, external auditors and accountants, and the judicial process). A recurring theme is the limited efficacy of many safeguards and watchdogs in cases of "control fraud," where fraud is directed or abetted by top management, and where unethical or abusiv… more
Date: December 27, 2004
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Accounting Problems at Fannie Mae

Description: This report summarizes the critiques the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Supervision (OFHEO) made of accounting practices at Fannie Mae. The OFHEO's two main issues are under the domains of: amortization of discounts, premiums, fees involved in the purchase of home mortgages, and the other being accounting for financial derivatives contracts. The report emphasizes that these discrepancies created a false image of the company's earnings and in one case was the cause of the company's executi… more
Date: December 16, 2004
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Can the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Be Restored to Financial Health?

Description: In 2003, the Bush administration made a proposal for reform to strengthen pension plan funding and the financial condition of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Various bills with the goal of reforming the PBGC were proposed in the 108th Congress but none were enacted into law. The doubling of the PBGC deficit from fiscal 2003 to fiscal 2004, has heightened awareness about the PBGC deficit situation. Congressional leaders from both parties have announced their intention to move ag… more
Date: December 16, 2004
Creator: Ranade, Neela K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Exempting Food and Agriculture Products from U.S. Economic Sanctions: Status and Implementation

Description: This report includes information background and analysis regarding exemption for and agriculture products from United States economic sanctions. This report also details debates, enacted provisions, sales, and developments regarding this subject.
Date: December 14, 2004
Creator: Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products: A Policy and Legal Analysis

Description: This report examines the legislative debate over giving FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products and provides some analysis of S. 2461/H.R. 4433. It begins with an overview of the FDA’s 1996 tobacco rule that includes a summary of the agency’s arguments for asserting jurisdiction over tobacco products. That is followed by an analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in FDA v. Brown & Williamson, which overturned the FDA tobacco rule. The report then reviews the 1997 proposed national to… more
Date: December 3, 2004
Creator: Redhead, C. Stephen & Feder, Jody
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Use in Agriculture: Background and Issues

Description: This report provides information relevant to the U.S. agricultural sector on energy use, emerging issues, and related legislation. This report provides background on the relationship between energy and agriculture in the United States. The first section provides background information on current and historical energy use in the U.S. agricultural sector and how this fits into the national energy-use picture. Energy’s role in agriculture’s overall cost structure is detailed both for present circu… more
Date: November 19, 2004
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Accounting Problems at Fannie Mae

Description: This report summarizes the critiques the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Supervision (OFHEO) made of accounting practices at Fannie Mae. The OFHEO's two main issues are under the domains of: amortization of discounts, premiums, fees involved in the purchase of home mortgages, and the other being accounting for financial derivatives contracts. The report emphasizes that these discrepancies created a false image of the company's earnings and in one case was the cause of the company's executi… more
Date: November 16, 2004
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Days Reserved for Special Business in the House

Description: This report provides information about the Days Reserved for Special Business in the House.several provisions in the rules of the house provide for certain types of business to be privileged for consideration on special days.
Date: November 9, 2004
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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