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Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress

Description: This report focuses on international and domestic human trafficking and U.S. policy responses, with particular emphasis on the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and its subsequent reauthorizations.
Date: August 4, 2010
Creator: Wyler, Liana Sun & Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Unemployment and Economic Recovery

Description: This report examines the relationship between economic growth and the unemployment rate to anticipate possible future developments.
Date: August 20, 2010
Creator: Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration of Foreign Workers: Labor Market Tests and Protections

Description: This report discusses ยง1611, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which requires companies receiving Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funding to comply with the more rigorous labor market rules of H-1B dependent companies if they hire foreign workers on H-1B visas.
Date: August 27, 2010
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business: Access to Capital and Job Creation

Description: The Small Business Administrationโ€™s (SBA) authorization is due to expire on September 30, 2010. The SBA administers several programs to support small businesses, including loan guarantees to help small businesses gain access to capital. This report addresses a core issue facing Congress during the SBAโ€™s reauthorization process: what, if any, additional action should the federal government take to enhance small business access to capital?
Date: September 1, 2010
Creator: Dilger, Robert J. & Gonzales, Oscar R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pay Equity Legislation

Description: This report begins by showing the trend in the male-female wage gap and by examining the explanations that have been offered for its enduring presence. It next discusses the major laws directed at eliminating sex-based wage discrimination as well as relevant federal court cases. The report closes with a description of pay equity legislation that has been considered by Congress in recent years, including bills introduced in the 111th Congress.
Date: September 20, 2010
Creator: Feder, Jody & Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Concurrent Receipt: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: "Concurrent Receipt" refers to the simultaneous receipt of two types of monetary benefits: military retired pay and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation. This report addresses the two primary components of the concurrent receipt program: Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) and Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP). It reviews the possible legislative expansion of the program to additional populations and provide several potential options for Congressโ€ฆ more
Date: September 24, 2010
Creator: Henning, Charles A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Disability Retirement for Federal Employees

Description: This report briefly discusses sick leave policies for federal civilian employees, as well as disability benefits available under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA).
Date: September 30, 2010
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Job Growth During the Recovery

Description: Congress in recent years passed a number of bills intended in part to jump-start a recovery in the labor market from the recession that began in December 2007. Policymakers are interested in how employment has responded to stimulus measures to determine how effective the legislation has been and to decide whether additional job creation legislation is warranted. This report discusses this topic in brief.
Date: September 30, 2010
Creator: Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Temporary Extension of Unemployment Benefits: Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08)

Description: In July 2008, a new temporary unemployment benefit, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) program, began. The most recent legislation, P.L. 111-205, extended the authorization of the EUC08 program, but did not change the structure of the program or augment benefits. This temporary unemployment insurance program provides up to 20 additional weeks of unemployment benefits to certain workers who have exhausted their rights to regular unemployment compensation (UC) benefits. This report dโ€ฆ more
Date: October 1, 2010
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P.; Whittaker, Julie M. & Shelton, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues

Description: This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA; H.R. 5724 and S. 2830): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians.
Date: October 5, 2010
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities

Description: Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). All CSRS retirees and survivors receive COLAs. Under FERS, however, non-disabled retirees under age 62 do not receive COLAs. This report discusses cost-of-living adjustments for government retirees, as well as related legislation.
Date: October 15, 2010
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Administration HUBZone Program

Description: The Small Business Administration (SBA) administers several programs to support small businesses, including the Historically Underutilized Business Zone Empowerment Contracting (HUBZone) program. The HUBZone program is a small business federal contracting assistance program "whose primary objective is job creation and increasing capital investment in distressed communities." This report examines the arguments presented both for and against targeting assistance to geographic areas with specifiedโ€ฆ more
Date: October 15, 2010
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA): A Summary

Description: This report summarizes the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the major regulatory programs that mandate reporting by industrial facilities of releases of hazardous chemicals to the environment, as well as local planning to respond in the event of significant, accidental releases.
Date: October 28, 2010
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Winter Fuels Outlook 2010-2011

Description: This report discusses findings gleaned through the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) publication titled Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook (STEWFO) for the 2010-2011 winter heating season. STEWFO projects how much American consumers should expect to see heating expenditures rise during the 2010-2011 winter season. These findings take into account the currently slow economic growth, high unemployment numbers, and uncertainty regarding the federal funding of the Low Income Energy โ€ฆ more
Date: October 29, 2010
Creator: Pirog, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Executive Compensation

Description: This report discusses the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173), which was implemented as part of financial regulatory reform initiatives undertaken by Congress in light of the recent global economic crisis. The legislation focuses on executive compensation.
Date: November 9, 2010
Creator: Seitzinger, Michael V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Long-Term Unemployment and Recessions

Description: This report discusses the recession that began in the United States in December 2007 and officially ended in June 2009 and how this recession affected employment rates. This report analyzes the trend in long-term unemployment over the postwar period and offers explanations for its unusually high incidence during the most recent postwar recession. It compares the individual, job, and household characteristics of the long-term unemployed during the latest recession (2007-2009) with the long-term โ€ฆ more
Date: November 22, 2010
Creator: Mayer, Gerald & Levine, Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA): Overview of Workers' Compensation for Certain Private- Sector Maritime Workers

Description: This report discusses the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA), a federal workers' compensation program that covers certain private-sector maritime workers. More than $980 million in LHWCA benefits are paid each year. The LHWCA is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) and all benefit costs are paid by employers and their insurance carriers.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Szymendera, Scott
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Employees: Pension COLAs and Pay Adjustments Since 1969

Description: Congress has linked adjustments in federal pay to the ECI so that wages for federal employees will remain competitive with wages paid by firms in the private sector. Under the terms of the Federal Employees' Pay Comparability Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-509), pay for civilian federal employees is adjusted each year to keep the salaries of federal workers competitive with comparable occupations in the private sector. These annual adjustments in federal employee pay-which are distinct from any pay raisโ€ฆ more
Date: December 7, 2010
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act

Description: This report reviews the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (PSEECA) and discusses the possible impact of the legislation. The report also identifies existing state laws that recognize collective bargaining rights for public safety employees, and considers the constitutional concerns raised by the measure.
Date: December 9, 2010
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean

Description: This report discusses the issue of trafficking in persons (TIP) in Latin America, giving background information and examining possible policy solutions.
Date: December 9, 2010
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The National Directory of New Hires

Description: This report details the National Directory of New Hires - including its background, how data is managed in the directory, and concerns regarding the directory.
Date: December 20, 2010
Creator: Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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State and Local Restrictions on Employing, Renting Property to, or Providing Services for Unauthorized Aliens: Legal Issues and Recent Judicial Developments

Description: This report discusses the constitutional issues raised by state and local laws intended to deter the presence of unauthorized aliens by limiting their access to housing, employment, and public benefits, as well as the implications that federal civil rights statutes might have for the implementation and enforcement of these laws. It also discusses recent federal court cases addressing the constitutionality of such measures.
Date: December 20, 2010
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.; Feder, Jody & Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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