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“Good Samaritan” Tort Reform: Three House Bills

Description: This report discusses three 108th Congress tort reform bills: the Volunteer Pilot Organization Protection Act (H.R. 1084), the Good Samaritan Firefighter Assistance Act of 2003 (H.R. 1787), and the Nonprofit Athletic Organization Protection Act of 2003 (H.R. 3369).
Date: September 15, 2004
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Limiting Court Jurisdiction Over Federal Constitutional Issues: “Court-Stripping”

Description: This report discusses various proposals that have been made to limit the jurisdiction of federal courts to hear cases regarding particular areas of constitutional law such as busing, abortion, prayer in school, and most recently, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Proposals of this type are often referred to as “court-stripping” legislation.
Date: December 11, 2003
Creator: Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Unborn Victims of Violence Act

Description: This report examines the act's provisions, and reviews existing state laws that criminalize the killing of a fetus or unborn child. The report also discusses selected cases that have considered the legitimacy of state fetal homicide and unborn child homicide statutes.
Date: January 24, 2007
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Monopoly and Monopolization - Fundamental But Separate Concepts in U.S. Antitrust Law

Description: This report illustrates the difference between the concepts of “monopoly” and “monopolization” by touching on the monopoly/monopolization thinking in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as illustrated in (1) statements on merger enforcement made by recent antitrust enforcement officials (generally indicative of the agencies’ concerns about competitive conditions and the effect of various market transactions), (2) the 1992 Horizontal … more
Date: August 20, 2001
Creator: Rubin, Janice E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.N. Law of the Sea Convention and the United States: Developments Since October 2003

Description: On October 31, 2007, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to recommend Senate advice and consent to U.S. adherence to the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement Relating to Implementation of Part XI of that Convention. This followed the statement by President Bush on May 15, 2007, urging “the Senate to act favorably on U.S. accession” to the Convention. CRS Issue Brief IB95010, The Law of the Sea Convention and U.S. Policy, serves as a basic CRS source for dis… more
Date: October 31, 2007
Creator: Browne, Marjorie Ann
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of NEPA Requirements

Description: This report provides an overview of The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. NEPA establishes national environmental policies that apply to the federal government and also prescribes certain procedural requirements for federal agency actions.
Date: April 19, 2005
Creator: Baldwin, Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Monopoly and Monopolization — Fundamental But Separate Concepts in U.S. Antitrust Law

Description: This report will attempt to illustrate the difference between the concepts of "monopoly" and "monopolization" by touching on the monopoly/monopolization thinking in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Date: October 19, 2006
Creator: Rubin, Janice E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy and Water Development: FY2010 Appropriations

Description: This report discusses the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill that provides funding for civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), for the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Department of Energy (DOE), and several independent agencies.
Date: August 26, 2009
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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General Overview of United States Antitrust Law

Description: This Report briefly summarizes (1) the primary United States antitrust statutes, and (2) some of the activities which are generally considered to be violations of those laws. There is also some reference to the prohibition against unfair competition and the “unfairness” jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The laws discussed do not constitute all of the statutes which may be applicable to, or implicated in antitrust issues, but rather, are those which are most often utilized.
Date: June 18, 2001
Creator: Rubin, Janice E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Arbitration Act: Background and Recent Developments

Description: Enacted in 1925, the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) seeks to ensure the validity and enforcement of arbitration agreements in any “maritime transaction or a contract evidencing a transaction involving commerce.” This report provides a brief legislative history of the FAA, as well as a review of selected cases that have interpreted the FAA. The report also discusses bills introduced during the 107th Congress that would amend the FAA for various purposes. Of the nine measures that have been intr… more
Date: June 17, 2002
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Arbitration Act: Background and Recent Developments

Description: Enacted in 1925, the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) seeks to ensure the validity and enforcement of arbitration agreements in any “maritime transaction or . . . contract evidencing a transaction involving commerce.” In general, the FAA evidences a national policy favoring arbitration. However, the application of the FAA to various types of arbitration agreements has been the subject of numerous lawsuits. This report provides a brief legislative history of the FAA, as well as a review of select… more
Date: August 15, 2003
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed Change to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) under S. 113

Description: This report discusses S. 113, a bill to extend the coverage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ("FISA") to non-U.S. persons who engage in international terrorism or activities in preparation for terrorist acts, without a showing of membership in or affiliation with an international terrorist group.
Date: August 9, 2004
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Endangered Species Act and "Sound Science"

Description: This report provides a context for evaluating legislative proposals through examples of how science has been used in selected cases, a discussion of the nature and role of science in general, and its role in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) process in particular, together with general and agency information quality requirements and policies, and a review of how the courts have viewed agency use of science.
Date: September 27, 2007
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. L.; Baldwin, Pamela & Alexander, Kristina
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Bayh-Dole Act: Selected Issues in Patent Policy and the Commercialization of Technology

Description: This report discusses the rationale behind the passage of P.L. 96-517 (Amendments to the Patent and Trademark Act, or the "Bayh-Dole Act") as well as its provisions and information regarding the implementation of the law. Under this 1980 law, as amended, title to inventions made with government support is provided to the contractor if that contractor is a small business, a university, or other non-profit institution.
Date: February 3, 2009
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Endangered Species Act and "Sound Science"

Description: This report provides a context for evaluating legislative proposals through examples of how science has been used in selected cases, a discussion of the nature and role of science in general, and its role in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) process in particular, together with general and agency information quality requirements and policies, and a review of how the courts have viewed agency use of science.
Date: October 5, 2006
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. Lynne & Baldwin, Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Statutes: What They Are and Where to Find Them

Description: This report provides a brief overview of federal statutes and where to find them, both in print and on the internet. When Congress passes a law, it may amend or repeal earlier enactments or it may write on a clean slate. After providing an overview on the basics of federal statutes, this report gives guidance on where federal statutes, in their various forms, may be located on the Internet.
Date: December 27, 2007
Creator: Foley, Cassandra L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tariff Modifications: Miscellaneous Duty Suspension Bills

Description: This report focuses briefly on the reasons that duty suspensions have merited congressional attention and on the current procedure by which congressional committees evaluate and select commodities for inclusion in more comprehensive legislation.
Date: March 13, 2006
Creator: Jones, Vivian C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance Law: The Supreme Court Upholds Key Provisions of BCRA in McConnell v. FEC

Description: This report discusses the Supreme Court's decision in McConnell v. FEC. The court upheld against facial constitutional challenges key portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), (P.L. 107-155, commonly known as the McCain-Feingold or Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform law).
Date: December 19, 2003
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance: Issues Before the U.S. Supreme Court in McConnell v. FEC

Description: This report provides a summary of the issues presented by 12 groups of appellants in their jurisdictional statements in 2003. Shortly after the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), P.L. 107-155 (H.R. 2356, 107th Cong.) was enacted in March 2002 (also known as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform legislation), Senator Mitch McConnell and others filed suit in U.S. District Court for D.C. against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)… more
Date: June 20, 2003
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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War On Drugs: Legislation in the 108th Congress and Related Developments

Description: This report covers significant legislative and oversight activities of the 108th Congress that concern domestic law enforcement aspects of federal anti-drug policy. It also includes an overview of significant executive branch actions and other current developments of likely interest to the congressional audience that follows this issue.
Date: January 10, 2005
Creator: Eddy, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification

Description: This report discusses E-Verify, a program in which participating employers submit information about their new hires (name, date of birth, Social Security number, immigration/citizenship status, and alien number, if applicable) from the I-9 form. This information is automatically compared with information in Social Security Administration and, if necessary, DHS databases to verify identity and employment eligibility.
Date: March 13, 2009
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Unauthorized Alien Students: Issues and “DREAM Act” Legislation

Description: This report examines the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or the DREAM Act. The bills were introduced in the 109th Congress, one of which was incorporated into the immigration reform bill passed by the Senate. A key issues in the current debate about immigration reform is how to address the resident unauthorized alien population.
Date: January 30, 2007
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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