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Clean Water: Summary of H.R. 961, As Passed

Description: The Clean Water Act, which was last amended in 1987, consists of two major parts: regulatory provisions that impose progressively more stringent requirements on industries and cities to abate pollution and meet the statutory goal of zero discharge of pollutants, and provisions that authorize Federal financial assistance for municipal wastewater treatment construction.
Date: May 30, 1995
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Courts Rulings During 1994 on Constitutional Taking Claims Against the United States

Description: In 1994, the second session of the 103rd Congress saw the political pressure exerted by property rights bills ascend new heights. Members supporting property rights legislation sought to add such provisions to nearly every major environmental bill. Opponents, including several committee chairmen, therefore declined to move the bills, and gridlock resulted.
Date: July 19, 1995
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Brady Handgun Control Act: Constitutional Issues

Description: The Brady Handgun Control Act established a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases, during which local law enforcement can make reasonable efforts to conduct background checks in available records and block and sales to convicted felons and other disqualified persons. This report reviews the background of federal gun control legislation, analyzes the conflict in the courts over the constitutionality under the Tenth Amendment of the duties placed on local law enforcement, and considers th… more
Date: October 25, 1995
Creator: Schrader, Dorothy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Assault Weapons Ban: Review of Federal Laws Controlling Possessions of Certain Firearms

Description: This report reviews the 1994 assault weapons ban, which is effective for ten years on 19 types of semiautomatic assault weapons. The Act builds upon a 60-year history of federal regulation of firearms. The report also summarizes the pre-1994 federal gun control laws, analyzes the major cases relating to constitutional and statutory challenges to these laws, and reviews judicial and legislative developments since enactment of the ban.
Date: December 1, 1995
Creator: Schrader, Dorothy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Utah Wilderness Legislation in the 104th Congress

Description: Legislation to designate wilderness areas on Federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management has been introduced in several recent Congresses. Bills in the 104th Congress include H.R. 1500, America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 1995, and H.R. 1745 and S. 884, Utah Public Lands Management Act of 1995 (identical as introduced). H.R. 1500 would designate 5.7 million acres of wilderness, and reserve Federal water rights. H.R. 1745/S. 884 would designate 1.8 million acres of wilderness, r… more
Date: December 12, 1995
Creator: Gorte, Ross W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1995: Overview of S.1316, As Passed

Description: On November 29, 1995, the Senate passed S. 1316, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1995, unanimously. The 1974 Act was last reauthorized in 1986. Both the House and Senate passed SDWA bills by wide margins in the past Congress, and strong interest in reauthorizing the Act continues in the 104th Congress. Many of the issues discussed in the SDWA debate, while specific to the Act, are of concern in the broader regulatory reform debate on unfunded Federal mandates and cost-benefit a… more
Date: December 18, 1995
Creator: Tiemann, Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Farm Bill: Soil and Water Conservation Issues

Description: This report discusses resource conservation topics, which are a part of the farm bill debate. Debate on existing programs focuses on reauthorization of the Conservation Reserve Program and possible amendments to the reserve, swampbuster, and conservation compliance.
Date: December 29, 1995
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Wetlands: Current Programs and Legislative Proposals

Description: Amending Federal laws to protect wetlands, especially agricultural wetlands, is a contentious issue for the 104th Congress. Critics contend that current programs are excessive in their reach and unfairly restrict private landowners. Supporters counter that these programs are critical if the Nation is to achieve the stated goal of no-net-loss of wetlands. The two major statutes under which agricultural wetlands are protected are swampbuster, enacted in the Agriculture, Food, Trade, and Conservat… more
Date: January 4, 1996
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A. & Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agreements to Promote Fishery Conservation and Management in International Waters

Description: Declining fish populations threaten an important food source. Natural catastrophes, pollution, habitat destruction, and overfishing contribute to the depletion of fish stocks. Overexploitation of fishery resources often occurs when management allows expanding and increasingly efficient fishing fleets to continue harvesting dwindling supplies. Although prevalent, overexploitation is not universal and its extent varies among areas, species, and fisheries. This report discusses the issue of overfi… more
Date: January 5, 1996
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicles: Energy, Environment, and Development Issues

Description: This report reviews several issues relating to alternative fuels and vehicles, mainly to combat dependence on petroleum imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report discusses the advantages and drawbacks of various alternative fuels and vehicles, as well as related legislation.
Date: January 17, 1996
Creator: Yacobucci, Brent D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The "Timber Rider": Section 2001 of the Rescissions Act

Description: the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act, became law. Section 2001, "The Emergency Salvage Timber Sale Program," is known as the "Salvage Rider" or the "Timber Rider." The measure directs the sale of timber from national forests managed by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Forest Service and from forests managed by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The law provides for three types of timber sales
Date: February 22, 1996
Creator: Baldwin, Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 1996 Farm Bill: Comparisons of Selected Provisions with Previous Law

Description: Final congressional approval was given to H.R. 2854, the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act, otherwise known as the "1996 farm bill," on March 28, 1996. President Clinton signed the bill into law on April 4, 1996 (P.L. 104-127). In tabular format, this CRS report lays out in descriptive, rather than legislative language, the major provisions of the new farm bill in contrast to preceding law.
Date: April 4, 1996
Creator: Library of Congress. Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division. Food and Agriculture Section.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China, Congress, and Sanctions - Findings of a Workshop-Seminar

Description: The People's Republic of China (PRC)'s provocative use of military force in the Taiwan Strait has appeared to subside, but not before convincing many in the Congress that the PRC regime continues to flout international norms sensitive to the United States. In addition to challenging stability in the Taiwan Strait, the PRC is seen recently to undermine important U.S. interests regarding nuclear proliferation, intellectual property rights, and missile proliferation. As a result, many in the Congr… more
Date: April 17, 1996
Creator: Sutter, Robert G. & Rennack, Dianne E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Marketing and Regulatory Provisions of the 1996 Farm Bill

Description: The Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127), signed into law on April 4, for the first time grants the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) broad-based authority to establish national generic promotion ("check-off") programs for virtually any agricultural commodity. Formerly, individual programs first had to be authorized expressly by Congress. The new law also explicitly authorizes the establishment of new check-off programs for rapeseed and canola, kiwifruit, a… more
Date: April 30, 1996
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996: A Summary

Description: The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is the product of legislative efforts stretching back well over a decade and stimulated to passage in part by the tragedies in Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center. This report summarizes the six titles of the Act, its sources, and related legislation.
Date: June 3, 1996
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Effects of Flat Taxes and Other Proposals on Housing: An Overview

Description: Studies have estimated that some of these revisions would cause a decline in demand for houses and significant reduction in house prices--perhaps in excess of 15 percent. These studies, however, presumed a fixed supply of housing; even a limited supply response would greatly decrease predicted asset price effects. Supply response is likely to be large in the long run and not insignificant in the short run. Effects on housing demand might also be mitigated by increases in savings rates and lower… more
Date: June 17, 1996
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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