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Director of National Intelligence Statutory Authorities: Status and Proposals

Description: This report discusses the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) position created by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-458). It includes an overview of the authorities granted to the DNI by legislation in 2004 and later as well as the varying opinions of Congress regarding new DNI authorities, as well as related legislation.
Date: January 15, 2009
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr. & Cumming, Alfred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): Background and Policy Options for the 112th Congress

Description: The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA; 5 U.S.C. §552) enables any person to access—without explanation or justification—certain existing, identifiable, unpublished, executive branch agency records. Pursuant to FOIA, the public has presumptive access to requested agency records unless the material falls within any of FOIA's nine categories of exemption from disclosure. This report discusses FOIA's history, examines its implementation, and provides potential policy approaches for Congress.
Date: July 26, 2011
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Director of National Intelligence Statutory Authorities: Status and Proposals

Description: This report discusses the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) position created by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-458). It includes an overview of the authorities granted to the DNI by legislation in 2004 and later as well as the varying opinions of Congress regarding new DNI authorities, as well as related legislation from FY2010 through FY2012.
Date: January 12, 2011
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr. & Cumming, Alfred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Obama Administration's Open Government Initiative: Issues for Congress

Description: This report reviews and discusses President Obama's Open Government Initiative and the Open Government Directive. The report then analyzes both agency response to the OGI and the OGD, and examines whether the OGD's requirements can meet the stated goals of the Administration. The report discusses the three central tenets of the Administration's OGD--transparency, public participation, and collaboration--and analyzes each one individually to determine whether agencies are meeting these requireme… more
Date: August 17, 2010
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 2010 Decennial Census: Background and Issues

Description: This report discusses the major innovations that were planned for the 2010 Census, problems encountered in the attempt to automate certain decennial field operations, issues of census accuracy and coverage, and efforts to ensure an equitable count.
Date: April 27, 2009
Creator: Williams, Jennifer D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Census 2000: Sampling as an Appropriations Issue in the 105th Congress

Description: The 105th Congress has debated the decennial census sampling issue mainly in the appropriations process, beginning with FY1997 supplemental appropriations legislation for disaster relief. In FY1998 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies (CJS), the Senate (S. 1022) instructed the Bureau of the Census not to make “irreversible” Census 2000 sampling plans, while the House (H.R. 2267) sought a moratorium on these plans, pending expedited judicial review… more
Date: September 1, 1998
Creator: Williams, Jennifer D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Researching Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Resources for Congressional Staff

Description: This report is designed to introduce congressional staff to selected governmental and nongovernmental sources that are useful in tracking and obtaining information on federal legislation and regulations. It includes governmental sources, such as Congress.gov, the Government Publishing Office's Federal Digital System (FDsys), and U.S. Senate and House websites. Nongovernmental or commercial sources include resources such as HeinOnline and the Congressional Quarterly (CQ) websites. The report als… more
Date: December 8, 2017
Creator: Mansfield, Jerry W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This report lists about 200 congressional liaison offices and is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. The information was supplied by the appropriate agency 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: February 5, 2018
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Protection of Classified Information by Congress: Practices and Proposals

Description: This report discusses safeguards in place to protect controlled information and proposals for change of some of the mechanisms in place. Congress uses classified national security and other controlled information to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities, particularly overseeing the executive, appropriating funds, and legislating public policy.
Date: January 27, 2010
Creator: Kaiser, Frederick M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Presidential Libraries Act and the Establishment of Presidential Libraries

Description: This report details the legislative history of the Presidential Libraries Act and examines information on existing library facilities and their locations, organizational characteristics, and outreach efforts. It also analyzes legislative options for the act, including increasing endowment requirements for the library foundations and clearly delineating the relationship between the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the libraries' supporting organizations.
Date: February 6, 2015
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy R.; Lunder, Erika K. & Richardson, Daniel J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A User's Guide to the Congressional Record

Description: This report discusses use of the Congressional Record, which is a substantially verbatim account of remarks made during the proceedings of the House and Senate, subject only to technical, grammatical, and typographical corrections. It consists of four main sections: the proceedings of the House and Senate, the Extensions of Remarks, and the Daily Digest.
Date: October 27, 2005
Creator: Amer, Mildred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Record: Its Production, Distribution, and Accessibility

Description: This report briefly discusses how the Congressional Record is created and distributed. The Congressional Record is the most widely recognized published account of the debates and activities in Congress and it often reflects the intent of Congress in enacting legislation.
Date: October 27, 2006
Creator: Amer, Mildred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Access to Medical Records Under Federal Law

Description: This report highlights the contentions surrounding the release of health care information when it is meant to be confidential. In addition, the report summarizes the federal laws that govern how this information is distributed and when it is to be distributed. Finally, the report discusses the tension between the federal government and state governments in implementing a uniform standard for this type of law.
Date: August 3, 1993
Creator: Stevens, Gina Marie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Executive Privilege: A Brief Survey

Description: This report discusses the concept of executive privilege which allows the executive to withhold certain information from the public and from the judicial and legislative branches. This report focuses on the right of executive privilege in regards to the legislative branch and provides statements by Congress and testimony by members of the executive branch before Congress related to the issue. It also discusses various proposed solutions to the problem of the executive branch withholding vital i… more
Date: July 23, 1971
Creator: Browne, Marjorie Ann
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Concerning Speakers of the House of Representatives

Description: This report contains statistical information about the 46 men who have been elected Speaker of the House of Representatives since 1789. Included is each Speaker's birth date, dates he served in the House, Congresses that he served in, his length of service in the House before and during his Speakership, the dates he was elected Speaker, the number of ballots required to elect him, his party affiliation, and home state.
Date: May 8, 1972
Creator: Spier, Jill & Pauls, Frederick H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraq: Map Sources

Description: This report identifies online sources for maps of Iraq, including government, library, and organizational websites.
Date: February 6, 2009
Creator: Fischer, Hannah
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Population: A Factsheet

Description: The Bureau of the Census estimated the U.S. resident population at nearly 262.0 million as of March 1, 1995, up 5.3% from 248.7 million in 1990, 15.6% from 226.5 million in 1980, and 73.1% from 151.3 million in 1950. The population has grown, on average, by slightly under 1.1% a year since 1990—faster than the world's developed countries overall (0.6%), but slower than the developing countries (1.9%,). Current projections indicate a possible U.S. population of 392.0 million by 2050—over 250% gr… more
Date: June 12, 1995
Creator: Williams, Jennifer D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Printing: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview and analysis of issues related to the processing and distribution of congressional information by the Government Printing Office. Subsequent sections address several issues, including funding congressional printing, printing authorizations, current printing practices, and options for Congress. Finally, the report provides congressional printing appropriations, production, and distribution data in a number of tables.
Date: November 5, 2009
Creator: Petersen, R. E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity: FISMA Reform

Description: This report briefly discusses current requirements under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and two bills currently being considered by Congress that would revise the conditions and authority granted by FISMA.
Date: November 24, 2014
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Critical Infrastructure Information Disclosure and Homeland Security

Description: This report discusses the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that was passed to ensure by statute citizen access to government information. Nine categories of information may be exempted from disclosure. Three of the nine exemptions provide possible protection against the release of critical infrastructure information: exemption 1 (national security information); exemption 3 (information exempted by statute); and exemption 4 (confidential business information). Congress has considered several pr… more
Date: August 31, 2002
Creator: Moteff, John D. & Stevens, Gina Marie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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