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Medicare: Financing the Part A Hospital Insurance Program

Description: This report discusses Medicare, which consists of two distinct parts — Part A (Hospital Insurance (HI)) and Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI)). Part A is financed primarily through payroll taxes levied on current workers and their employers. Income from these taxes is credited to the HI trust fund. Part B is financed through a combination of monthly premiums paid by current enrollees and general revenues. Income from these sources is credited to the SMI trust fund.
Date: May 5, 1998
Creator: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Managing Farm Risk in a New Policy Era

Description: This report discusses the enhancements to the crop insurance and revenue insurance programs that are expected to be considered by the 106th Congress in order to improve the farm financial safety net and preclude the need for ad hoc legislative assistance.
Date: January 22, 1999
Creator: Chite, Ralph M. & Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Wildlife Restoration Projects Fund

Description: Since 1937, a cooperative program between the federal and state governments has existed for wildlife restoration. This program provides federal grants-in-aid to state agencies for conservation through land and water management for wild birds and mammals. While up to 8% of the collected revenues from excise taxes dedicated to the program may be retained by the federal government for administration, all remaining funds are apportioned to the states and territories for use either in wildlife resto… more
Date: May 2, 1997
Creator: Talley, Louis Alan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Debt: Who Bears Its Burdens?

Description: This report discusses the federal debt, which quintupled from FY1980 to FY1995 and went from 26% to 50% of GDP. The report examines changing ideas in regards to what segment of the population most feels the effects of growing government debt, and how its effects manifest.
Date: December 9, 1999
Creator: Cox, William A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Abandoned Mine Land Fund: Grants Distribution and Issues

Description: The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA, P.L. 95-87), enacted in 1977, established reclamation standards for all coal surface mining operations, and for the surface effects of underground mining. It also established the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program to promote the reclamation of sites mined and abandoned prior to the enactment of SMCRA. To finance reclamation of abandoned mine sites, the legislation established fees on coal production. These collections are divided into federa… more
Date: March 26, 1997
Creator: Bamberger, Robert L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Consumer Bankruptcy Reform: Proposals Before the 105th Congress

Description: This report examines current consumer bankruptcy practice and the proposals set forth in the reform bills. Also considered are the legislative history of the current consumer bankruptcy scheme, and topics likely to be debated as Congress proceeds to consider consumer bankruptcy reform.
Date: March 20, 1998
Creator: Jeweler, Robin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cost-Benefit Analysis: Issues in Its Use in Regulation

Description: This report sketches issues underlying broader use of cost-benefit analysis. It focuses on cost-benefit as one of several related frameworks for assessing regulatory actions or policies. Cost-benefit is the broadest of these frameworks, which also include impact assessment, risk assessment, and cost-effectiveness. Which analytical framework is appropriate depends on the regulatory context.
Date: June 28, 1995
Creator: Moore, John L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Reform: A Legal Analysis of Issue and Express Advocacy

Description: Issue advocacy communications have become increasingly popular over the federal election cycles. Often these advertisements could be interpreted to favor or disfavor certain candidates, while also serving to inform the public about a policy issue. However, unlike communications that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, the Supreme Court has ruled that issue ads are constitutionally protected First Amendment speech and cannot be regulated.
Date: May 15, 1998
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Reform Bills in the 105th Congress: Comparison of H.R. 3581 (Thomas), H.R. 3526 (Shays-Meehan), and Current Law

Description: On March 30, 1998, the House considered four campaign reform bills under a suspension of rules, focusing on the comprehensive H.R. 3581, offered that day for the Republican leadership by Mr. Thomas; it failed passage on a 74-337 vote. (The bill was similar to H.R. 3485, also by Mr. Thomas, reported by the House Oversight Committee March 18.1) The bill generating the most publicity in the 105th Congress has been S. 25 (McCain-Feingold),2 introduced on March 19 as H.R. 3526 by Messrs. Shays and M… more
Date: April 13, 1998
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Bills in the 105th Congress: Comparison of H.R. 2183 (Hutchison -Allen), H.R. 3526 (Shays-Meehan), and Current Law

Description: As pledged by Speaker Gingrich, the House renewed consideration of campaign finance reform in May 1998. The principal bill is H.R. 2183, known as the freshman bipartisan bill, introduced July 17, 1997, by Messrs. Hutchinson and Allen. Selected floor amendments and substitutes will be in order. The legislation that has generated the most publicity in the 105th Congress has been the McCain-Feingold bill (S. 25), offered on March 19, 1998, as H.R. 3526 by Messrs. Shays and Meehan;1 this has also b… more
Date: July 22, 1998
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Debate in the House: Substitute Amendments to H.R. 2183 (105th Congress)

Description: This report provides a summary and comparison of the 11 substitute amendments to H.R. 2183, a campaign finance reform bill offered by Representatives Hutchinson and Allen, that, under H. Res. 442, will be in order for consideration by the House. The House began consideration of the bill and these substitute amendments (as well as additional perfecting amendments) on May 21, 1998. This report is intended for use by House Members and staff in preparation for and during House debate and assumes ba… more
Date: June 10, 1998
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Protection: How Much it Costs and Who Pays

Description: A recurring issue in environmental policy is the cost of pollution control imposed on individuals, businesses, and government. To inform policymakers about these costs, a number of surveys and analyses have been conducted over the years. consistent, basic sources have been an annual survey of costs to manufacturers, conducted by the Bureau of Census(BOC), and an annual analysis of total costs, prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysis(BEA). Overall, the BEA analysis showed the nation spent $1… more
Date: April 16, 1997
Creator: Blodgett, John E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mixing Banking and Commerce Using Federal Deposit Insurance: Industrial Banks and Nonbank Banks

Description: Despite explicit Federal legislation forbidding combining commercial banking with commerce, it remains possible through corporate ownership to combine two kinds of banks with nonbanking activities. Federal legislation does permit combinations that have the effect of allowing some commingling, as is shown below. Continuing efforts to encourage these mixtures may be patterned on industrial banks or nonbank banks, whose operations are favorable for owners such as insurance, securities, or industri… more
Date: August 26, 1993
Creator: Jackson, William D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Saving Rates: An International Comparison

Description: An examination of estimates of saving published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reveals that the U.S. is one of the least thrifty of the major industrial nations. But, the data also indicate that the U.S. is not the only country to experience a falling rate of saving in recent years. It may be that the large difference between the rates of saving in the U.S. and abroad depends on how saving is defined. A broader definition of saving than the one employed by … more
Date: February 10, 1994
Creator: Cashell, Brian W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Japan's Banking Crisis: Causes and Probable Effects

Description: Japan's banking sector currently is carrying between $400 billion and $800 billion in non-performing loans that threaten the solvency of certain financial institutions and weaken the Japanese financial system. This problem is of interest to the United States because the stability of Japan's banking system affects the health of that nation's economy, its rate of economic growth, and international capital flows. This, in turn, may affect American exports to, imports from, and investments in Japan… more
Date: October 6, 1995
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Daiwa Bank Problems: Background and Policy Issues

Description: On November 2, 1995, U.S. banking authorities ordered the Daiwa Bank to close its banking operations in the United States, and a 24-count criminal indictment was issued against it. These actions stem from the bank's admission that Toshihide Iguchi, a rogue trader at its New York branch office, had incurred $1.1 billion in losses over eleven years from trading U.S. Treasury securities and that Daiwa managers had "directed that those losses be concealed" from U.S. regulators.
Date: November 30, 1995
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.; Jackson, William D. & Wells, F. Jean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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World Bank Lending to China

Description: Lending to China from the multilateral development banks (MDBs) increased four-fold between 1985 and 1994, from $1.1 billion to $4.3 billion. China is now the MDBs' largest single borrower country. There is considerable debate today, however, whether the MDBs should continue lending to China. In particular, there is sharp debate whether the World Bank should continue making concessional loans to China.
Date: April 25, 1996
Creator: Sanford, Jonathan E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Credit Union Common Bond Ruling: NCUA v. First National Bank and Trust Co._U.S._ (No. 96-843)

Description: On February 25, 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that federal credit unions may not consist of more than one occupational group having a single common bond. On April 1, the House passed H.R. 1151 (H.Rept. 105-472), which grandfathers existing credit unions and sets standards for future multi-group credit unions.
Date: August 13, 1998
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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