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Campaign Finance Bills in the 106th Congress: Comparison of Shays-Meehan, as passed, with McCain-Feingold, as considered

Description: On September 14, 1999, the House passed the Shays-Meehan bill--H.R. 417, the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1999, as amended, by a vote of 252-177. Senate sponsors of the companion measure, S. 26 (McCain-Feingold), revised their proposal and, on September 16, introduced S. 1593, containing just four sections of H.R. 417 and S. 26. The Senate debated S. 1593 from October 13-20, culminating in unsuccessful cloture votes October 19 on two amendments: Daschle amendment 2298, substituting… more
Date: January 12, 2000
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Outer Continental Shelf: Oil and Gas Leasing and Revenue

Description: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) was the source of $18 billion of oil and natural gas during 1998. This amounted to 25% of the nation's natural gas production and nearly 20% of the nation's crude oil. Nearly all of this output comes from the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico, where supporting infrastructure is already in place and there is little environmental opposition. Except for one sale in Alaska, no leases have been auctioned since 1991 in any other OCS region. The deep waters off Alaba… more
Date: May 3, 2000
Creator: Kumins, Lawrence C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Derivatives Regulation: Legislation in the 106th Congress

Description: The 106th Congress is considering a general overhaul of derivatives regulation. Pending legislation would codify the unregulated status of certain derivatives, exempt many other currently-regulated contracts from oversight by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and permit the trading of a new kind of contract: a futures contract based on the stock of an individual corporation. Derivatives legislation has been reported out of committee in both House and Senate. This report analyzes this le… more
Date: October 10, 2000
Creator: Jickling, Mark
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 in recent federal election cycles. These advertisements are often 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 determined that issue ads are constitutionally protected First Amendment speech that cannot be regulated in any manner. … more
Date: March 12, 2001
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Walter Reed Army Medical Center: Realignment Under BRAC 2005 and Options for Congress

Description: This report details the BRAC Commission recommendation to create the WRNMMC, and the concomitant realignment of the WRAMC. It describes the concerns raised by the community before the BRAC Commission regarding the closure of the WRAMC main post and explains each of the 13 parts of the overall recommendation.
Date: July 9, 2007
Creator: Else, Daniel H. & O'Bryant, JoAnne
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposals for a Congressional Commission on the Financial Crisis: A Comparative Analysis

Description: This report provides a comparative analysis of six proposed congressional advisory commissions that would investigate various aspects of the recent financial crisis and economic downturn. The report specifically discusses the membership structure, appointment structure, rules of procedure and operation, duties and reporting requirements, powers of the commission, staffing issues, and funding.
Date: April 29, 2009
Creator: Glassman, Matthew E. & Straus, Jacob R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Single European Payments Area (SEPA): Implementation Delays and Implications for the United States

Description: This report presents a brief background on the efforts to create the Single European Payments Area (SEPA) by the European government and the banking industry. It assesses the current electronic payments systems from the wholesale (large value) level and the retail (small value) level of payments. The report then examines the attempts to develop the pan- European automated clearinghouse system (PEACH).
Date: May 2, 2008
Creator: Eubanks, Walter W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Key Issues in Derivatives Reform

Description: This report provides background related to financial derivatives. It also analyzes market structure and regulation, derivatives reform, legislative proposals and exemptions for end users, safeguards for uncleared over-the-counter (OTC) swaps, and hypothetical examples.
Date: December 1, 2009
Creator: Miller, Rena S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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East Asia's Foreign Exchange Rate Policies

Description: This report examines the de facto foreign exchange rate policies adopted by the monetary authorities of East Asia. In some cases, there is a perceived discrepancy between the official (de jure) exchange rate policy and the observed de facto exchange rate policy. This report will focus primarily on the de facto exchange rate policies.
Date: July 16, 2009
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Newspaper Industry in Transition

Description: This report analyzes China's mixed record on human rights: major human rights problems, new human rights legislation, and the development of civil society, legal awareness, and social and political activism. This report discusses major areas of interest but does not provide an exhaustive account of all human rights abuses or related incidents.
Date: July 8, 2009
Creator: Kirchoff, Suzanne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Insurance Guaranty Funds

Description: This report describes generally how state-based insurance guaranty funds operate currently. It also compares the extant insurance system to protections offered bank depositors, potential and current pensioners, and credit union participants.
Date: February 27, 2008
Creator: Webel, Baird
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Bills in the 107th Congress: Comparison of S. 22 (Hagel-Landrieu) with S. 27 (McCain-Feingold)

Description: On March 19, 2001, the Senate began consideration of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. The bill–S. 27 (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001)–was introduced on January 22, 2001 by Senators McCain, Feingold, Cochran et al. It features a ban on the raising of soft money by national parties, a ban on the spending of soft money by state and local parties on federal election-related activities (as defined), and a disclosure requirement for electioneering messages not regulated by fe… more
Date: March 23, 2001
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Bills in the 107th Congress: Comparison of H.R. 380 (Shays-Meehan) with S. 27 (McCain-Feingold)

Description: As in the last two Congresses, campaign finance reform will be a major issue in the 107th Congress, with attention again centered on the Senate McCain-Feingold and House Shays-Meehan bills. S. 27 (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001), introduced on January 22, 2001, will be considered by the Senate in March 2001; H.R. 380 (Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2001) was introduced January 31. Both bills ban the raising of soft money by national parties and the spending of it by state and… more
Date: February 16, 2001
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Reform: Constitutional Issues Raised by Disclosure Requirements

Description: Campaign finance reform legislation often contains provisions that would impose additional reporting and disclosure requirements under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). For example, S. 27 (McCain/Feingold), would require disclosure of disbursements of expenditures over $10,000 for “electioneering communications,” which are defined to include broadcast ads that “refer” to federal office candidates, with identification of donors of $500 or more. S. 22 (Hagel/Landrieu) would increase and e… more
Date: March 20, 2001
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Reform and Incentives to Voluntarily Limit Candidate Spending From Personal Funds: Constitutional Issues Raised by Public Subsidies and Variable Contribution Limits

Description: The Supreme Court in Buckley v. Valeo ruled that spending limits, including the amount a candidate can spend on his or her own campaign from personal funds (also known as personal fund expenditure limits) are unconstitutional. The Court did, however, uphold a system of spending limits, on the condition that they are voluntarily accepted in exchange for some form of public financing. As a result of these Court rulings, the concept of various incentives toward voluntary compliance with a personal… more
Date: March 22, 2001
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Banking's Proposed "Know Your Customer" Rules

Description: On December 7, 1998, federal banking regulators proposed regulations that would have required banks and thrifts to develop formal policies and procedures to identify unusual transactions in customers’ accounts to report as suspicious activity in conjunction with the federal laws outlawing money laundering. Although there were varied proposals before the 106th Congress on the issue, no legislation was enacted. The issue likeliest to command attention in the 107th Congress is international money … more
Date: August 31, 2001
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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African Development Bank and Fund

Description: The African Development Bank Group, including the Bank itself (AfDB) and its “soft-loan” affiliate, the African Development Fund (AfDF), is a development finance institution based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The Bank has 53 African members, as well as 24 non-regional members, including the United States. In the mid-1990s, the Bank faced management problems and difficulties arising from non-performing loans, but reforms launched in 1995 by a new Bank president, Omar Kabbaj, brought new pledges of… more
Date: April 18, 2001
Creator: Copson, Raymond W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Bills in the 107th Congress: Comparison of S. 27 (McCain-Feingold), H.R. 2356 (Shays-Meehan), H.R. 2630 (Ney-Wyn), and Current Law

Description: S. 27 (McCain-Feingold), the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001, was introduced January 22, 2001 in a form similar to prior versions of the last two Congresses. On April 2, after a two-week debate and adoption of 22 amendments, the Senate passed S. 27 by a vote of 59-41. That measure’s companion Shays-Meehan bill, the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2001, was initially introduced as H.R. 380 in a form similar to House-passed versions of the prior two Congresses; on June 28, the bi… more
Date: January 18, 2002
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E. & Whitaker, L. Paige
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 in any manner. Ac… more
Date: March 15, 2002
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Debt Reduction: Initiatives for the Most Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Description: This report offers a broad overview of the debate concerning debt reduction for poor developing countries. It profiles the scope and structure of debt and reviews previous debt relief strategies and the current HIPC Initiative. It analyzes and compares competing alternatives endorsed by the Administration, congressional activists, NGOs, and other G-7 governments. Several key issues, such as costs, impact, and conditionality, of pending proposals are also assessed.
Date: February 1, 2000
Creator: Nowels, Larry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002: Summary and Comparison with Previous Law

Description: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 was enacted on March 27, 2002 as P.L. 107-155. It passed the House on February 14, 2002, as H.R. 2356 (Shays- Meehan), by a 240-189 vote. Its companion measure, on which it was largely based, had initially been passed by the Senate in 2001 as S. 27 (McCain-Feingold). On March 20, 2002, however, the Senate approved the House-passed H.R. 2356 by a 60- 40 vote, thus avoiding a conference to reconcile differences between S. 27 and H.R. 2356. The two primar… more
Date: January 9, 2004
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E. & Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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