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Defense Spending and the Budget Control Act Limits

Description: This report discusses the Budget Control Act, which sets limits on defense spending between fiscal years 2012 and 2021 and possible measures to avoid a sequester. The current debate in Congress has centered on whether to adjust the BCA defense caps upward; move base budget spending to accounts designated for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) that are not subject to spending limits; reduce the defense spending in the Administration's request to comply with BCA revised caps; or use some combiā€¦ more
Date: July 22, 2015
Creator: Belasco, Amy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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History and Authority of the Joint Economic Committee

Description: This report briefly discusses joint committees, which are composed of members from both the House and the Senate. The work of these committees generally involves conducting studies and overseeing aspects of congressional operations. This report focuses specifically on the Joint Economic Committee.
Date: September 2, 2015
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Hearings: Witness Testimony

Description: This report briefly discusses the witness testimony process in House of Representatives committee hearings. Witnesses before House committees must generally file advance copies of their written testimony with the committee and then limit their oral testimony to brief summaries (Rule XI, clause 2(g)(5)). A question-and-answer period usually follows a witness's opening statement. Following hearings, committees usually publish the transcripts of witness testimony and questioning.
Date: August 10, 2015
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Legislative Procedures for Adjusting the Public Debt Limit: A Brief Overview

Description: This report discusses the procedure for adjusting the public debt limit. Nearly all of the outstanding debt of the federal government is subject to a statutory limit, which is set forth as a dollar limitation in 31 U.S.C. 3101(b). From time to time, Congress considers and passes legislation to adjust or suspend this limit.
Date: August 6, 2015
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This report is a list of about 200 congressional liaison offices, intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: September 10, 2015
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Delegates to the U.S. Congress: History and Current Status

Description: This report provides historical background on the development of the position of delegate to Congress and on the rights of a delegate once seated. Delegates, representing territories that had not yet achieved statehood, have served in the House since the late 1700s. In the 20th century, the concept of delegate grew to include representation of territories where the United States exercises some degree of control but were not expected to become states.
Date: August 25, 2015
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Office of Congressional Ethics: History, Authority, and Procedures

Description: This report describes the history and rationale behind the creation of the House Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), its operations, and its relationship with the House Committee on Ethics, and potential options available for Congress if further amendments to the House ethics process are desired.
Date: July 22, 2015
Creator: Straus, Jacob R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Calendars of the House of Representatives

Description: This report describes the use of "calendars" in the House of Representatives, referring to (1) lists of measures and motions eligible for consideration and (2) documents that contain the eligible motions and information about the status of legislation.
Date: August 25, 2015
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Hearings: Preparation

Description: This report contains a checklist that identifies many of the tasks that need to be performed for committee hearings. Committee hearings provide Representatives an opportunity to gather information on, and draw attention to, legislation and issues within a committee's purview; conduct oversight of programs or agencies; and investigate allegations of mismanagement or wrongdoing.
Date: August 25, 2015
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Filling the Senate "Amendment Tree"

Description: This report discusses the filing process of "Amendment trees": diagrams that have developed over decades of Senate practice as a way of visualizing certain principles of precedence that govern the offering of, and voting on, amendments in the chamber.
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of H.R. 1560 and H.R. 1731 as Passed by the House

Description: This report compares provisions in two bills in the House of Representatives that address information sharing and related activities in cybersecurity. This report consists of an overview of those and other legislative proposals on information sharing, along with selected associated issues, followed by a side-by-side analysis of the two House bills as passed.
Date: June 4, 2015
Creator: Fischer, Eric A. & Logan, Stephanie M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Frequently Asked Questions

Description: The issue of TPA reauthorization raises a number of questions regarding TPA itself and the pending legislation. This report addresses a number of those questions that are frequently asked, including the following: What is trade promotion authority? Is TPA necessary? What are trade negotiating objectives and how are they reflected in TPA statutes? What requirements does Congress impose on the President under TPA? Does TPA affect congressional authority on trade policy?
Date: July 2, 2015
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F. & Beth, Richard S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Members' Representational Allowance: History and Usage

Description: This report provides a history and overview of the Members' Representational Allowance (MRA) and examines spending patterns over selected years--2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2012. The data exclude non-voting Members, including Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, as well as Members who were not in Congress for the entirety of the session. Information is provided on total spending and spending for various categories. The data collected demonstrate that, despite variations when considering allā€¦ more
Date: June 22, 2015
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Appointment and Confirmation of Executive Branch Leadership: An Overview

Description: This report begins by explaining the three distinct stages that comprise the advice and consent process, which is the means through which most of these positions are filled. The report then provides an overview of recess appointments and briefly discusses other options that are available to Presidents for temporarily filling vacant advice and consent positions. Finally, it discusses certain types of statutory provisions that Congress has applied selectively to specific advice and consent positiā€¦ more
Date: June 22, 2015
Creator: Hogue, Henry B. & Carey, Maeve P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of Legislative Proposals in the 114th Congress

Description: This report compares two House bills and one Senate bill that address information sharing and related activities in cybersecurity. The report consists of an overview of those and other legislative proposals on information sharing, along with selected associated issues, followed by a side-by-side analysis of the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act of 2015 (NCPAA), the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (PCNA), and the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA).
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Fischer, Eric A. & Logan, Stephanie M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Omnibus Appropriations Acts: Overview of Recent Practices

Description: Omnibus appropriations acts have become a significant feature of the legislative process in recent years as Congress and the President have resorted more frequently to their use to bring action on the regular appropriations cycle to a close. Following a discussion of pertinent background information, this report reviews the recent use of such measures and briefly addresses several issues that their use raises.
Date: July 15, 2015
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Legislative Research for Congressional Staff: How to Find Documents and Other Resources

Description: This report is one of a series of reports on legislative process and research; it is intended to serve as a finding aid to sources of information, such as documents, news articles, analysis, contacts and services, used in legislative research.
Date: June 22, 2015
Creator: Cornell, Ada S.; Greene, Michael & Hanson, Laura A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy

Description: This report presents background and analysis on the development of TPA, a summary of the major provisions under the expired authority, and a discussion of the issues that have arisen in the debate over TPA renewal. It also explores some of the policy options available to Congress.
Date: May 28, 2015
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Budget Reconciliation Process: Stages of Consideration

Description: This report discusses the budget reconciliation process which allows Congress to use an expedited procedure when considering legislation that would bring existing spending, revenue, and debt limit laws into compliance with current fiscal priorities established in the annual budget resolution.
Date: June 2, 2015
Creator: Lynch, Megan S. & Saturno, James V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Invasive Species: Issues in Brief

Description: This report discusses issues for congress regarding whether new legislative authorities and funding are needed to address issues related to invasive species and their increasing economic and ecological impacts on such disparate matters as power plant operations, grazing lands, and coral reef fishes.
Date: May 22, 2015
Creator: Corn, M. L. & Johnson, RenƩe
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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