Search Results

open access

Congressional Power to Create Federal Courts: A Legal Overview

Description: This report provides an overview of this often difficult and misunderstood area of law, beginning with a discussion of the various types of federal tribunals. The report continues by noting the rationales for why Congress established the breadth of different courts that exist today and concludes with a discussion of the various factors and relevant issues that limit Congress's discretion in establishing federal courts.
Date: October 1, 2014
Creator: Nolan, Andrew & Thompson, Richard M., II
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Perjury Under Federal Law: A Brief Overview

Description: This report discusses the three general federal perjury laws. It is an abbreviated version of CRS Report 98-808, Perjury Under Federal Law: A Brief Overview, by Charles Doyle, stripped of most footnotes, quotations, citations, and bibliography.
Date: January 28, 2014
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

S. 2262, Shaheen-Portman Bill 2014: Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act

Description: This report reviews the Senate bill S.2262 and considers the contentious pieces of the bill. Moreover, the report addresses possible amendments to the bill. The report also covers the budget of S. 2262 and describes the expansions it aims to make with energy restrictions and the enforcement of those restrictions.
Date: May 14, 2014
Creator: Sissine, Fred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Perjury Under Federal Law: A Sketch of the Elements

Description: This report discusses the three general federal perjury laws. It is an abbreviated version of CRS Report 98-808, Perjury Under Federal Law: A Brief Overview, by Charles Doyle, stripped of most footnotes, quotations, citations, and bibliography.
Date: January 28, 2014
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Casework in a Congressional Office: Background, Rules, Laws, and Resources

Description: This report discusses House and Senate rules and guidelines, laws, and regulations affecting congressional casework, as well as the role of caseworkers. It also provides sample outlines and document templates for implementing and managing congressional casework.
Date: November 24, 2014
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Negotiations

Description: This report provides: (1) context for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations; (2) analysis of possible trade and investment issues in the negotiations; and (3) discussion of issues for Congress. The U.S.-EU negotiations on TTIP are not public, however, the information and analysis in this report on issues in the negotiations are based on publicly-available information.
Date: February 4, 2014
Creator: Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias & Jones, Vivian C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Congress's Contempt Power and the Enforcement of Congressional Subpoenas: A Sketch

Description: This report examines the source of Congress's contempt power; analyzes the procedures associated with inherent contempt, criminal contempt, and the civil enforcement of subpoenas; and discusses the obstacles that face Congress in enforcing a contempt action against an executive branch official.
Date: April 10, 2014
Creator: Garvey, Todd & Dolan, Alissa M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Federal Capital Offenses: An Overview of Substantive and Procedural Law

Description: Murder, committed under any of more than 50 jurisdictional circumstances, is a federal capital offense. So are treason, espionage, and certain drug kingpin offenses. The Federal Death Penalty Act and related provisions establish the procedure that must be followed before a defendant convicted of a federal capital offense may be executed. This report is an overview of the law in the area.
Date: November 18, 2014
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act: Innovation Issues

Description: This report provides an overview of the the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). It begins by offering a brief overview of the patent system, then identifies and reviews the specific components of this legislation in greater detail. The report closes with further considerations.
Date: January 15, 2014
Creator: Thomas, John R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification

Description: This report discusses the employment verification program that started out as a pilot program in November 1997 and it is currently authorized until September 30, 2015, in accordance with P.L. 112-176.
Date: January 9, 2014
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Bills of Attainder: The Constitutional Implications of Congress Legislating Narrowly

Description: This report discusses congressional bills of attainder, defined by the Supreme Court as "law[s] that legislatively determine guilt and inflict punishment upon an identifiable individual without provision of the protections of a judicial trial." The report specifically examines the two main criteria courts use to determine whether legislation is a bill of attainder: specificity and punishment.
Date: August 26, 2014
Creator: Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Sugar Program: The Basics

Description: This report discusses the sugar program that provides a price guarantee to the processors of sugarcane and sugar beets, and in turn, to the producers of both crops.
Date: April 1, 2014
Creator: Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Obstruction of Justice: An Overview of Some of the Federal Statutes That Prohibit Interference with Judicial, Executive, or Legislative Activities

Description: This report discusses obstruction of justice, which is is a federal crime. It describes specific kinds of obstruction, organized by type, and references various relevant laws that have provisions against obstruction.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Everglades Restoration: Federal Funding and Implementation Progress

Description: This report summarizes historical and current funding trends for Everglades restoration, with a focus on federal funding totals and issues for Congress. It also provides a brief summary of some of the major accomplishments in Everglades restoration since the enactment of CERP in 2000, as well as ongoing challenges facing the effort.
Date: November 18, 2014
Creator: Stern, Charles V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

State Considers Amendment to Protect Human Life at Any Stage of Development

Description: This legal sidebar discusses a proposal in North Dakota that would amend the state constitution to address the right to life. If adopted, the North Dakota constitution would state: "The inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected."
Date: October 30, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Body Armor for Law Enforcement Officers: In Brief

Description: This report contains an overview of the Matching Grant Program for Law Enforcement Armor Vests (BPV program). It also provides a discussion of data on law enforcement agencies that require their officers to wear armor vests while on duty, research on why officers may choose to wear armor vests, research on the life cycle for armor vests, data on the use of body armor by law enforcement officers who were killed with a firearm, and research on the effectiveness of armor vests.
Date: May 13, 2014
Creator: James, Nathan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Executive Discretion as to Immigration: Legal Overview

Description: This report provides an overview of the three broad types of discretion that the Executive can be seen to have as to immigration: (1) express delegations of discretionary authority; (2) discretion in enforcement (commonly known as prosecutorial or enforcement discretion); and (3) discretion in interpreting and applying statutes.
Date: November 10, 2014
Creator: Manuel, Kate M. & Garcia, Michael John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Family-Based Immigration Policy

Description: This report provides an examination of family-based immigration policy. In doing so, it outlines a brief history of U.S. family-based immigration policies, discusses current law governing admissions, and summarizes recommendations made by previous congressionally mandated committees charged with evaluating immigration policy. It then presents descriptive figures on legal immigrants entering the United States during the past decade and discusses the sizable queue of approved immigrant petitioner… more
Date: November 19, 2014
Creator: Kandel, William A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen