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The U.S. Secret Service: An Examination and Analysis of Its Evolving Missions

Description: This report frames potential policy questions concerning the U.S. Secret Service's (USSS's) mission and organization through an examination of the USSS history and its statutory authorities, mission, and present activities within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Date: March 8, 2010
Creator: Reese, Shawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The War Powers Resolution: After Thirty-Six Years

Description: This report discusses and assesses the War Powers Resolution and its application since enactment in 1973, providing detailed background on various cases in which it was used, as well as cases in which issues of its applicability were raised.
Date: April 22, 2010
Creator: Grimmett, Richard F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion

Description: This report discusses the State of the Union address, which is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year.
Date: January 16, 2015
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Speed of Presidential and Senate Actions on Supreme Court Nominations, 1900-2010

Description: This report provides information on the amount of time taken to act on all Supreme Court nominations occurring between 1900 and 2010. It focuses on the actual amounts of time that Presidents and the Senate have taken to act after learning about vacancies, selections, etc. (as opposed to the elapsed time between official points in the process).
Date: April 21, 2010
Creator: Garrett, R. Sam & Rutkus, Denis Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Stafford Act Disaster Assistance: Presidential Declarations, Eligible Activities, and Funding

Description: This report discusses the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) that authorizes the President to issue major disaster, emergency, and fire management declarations, which in turn enable federal agencies to provide assistance to state and local governments overwhelmed by catastrophes.
Date: January 27, 2010
Creator: Bea, Keith
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Executive Order 13438: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq

Description: This report provides a brief history of the development of presidential powers in peacetime. It discusses some of the issues that might be raised in light of the contrast between the executive order's broad language and its narrow aim. It examines the reach of the executive order and provides legal analyses of some of the constitutional questions raised in the courts by similar sanctions programs.
Date: January 19, 2010
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits

Description: This report provides a legislative and cultural history of the Former Presidents Act. It details the pension and benefits provided to former U.S. presidents and their costs; Congress has the authority to reduce, increase, or maintain these benefits.
Date: May 27, 2015
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy & Richardson, Daniel J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: In Brief

Description: This report presents information on the process by which Congress can override regular vetoes, the number of vetoes by each President, and the use of vetoes in relation to appropriations acts.
Date: June 9, 2015
Creator: Stuessy, Meghan M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Permit Review for Cross-Border Pipelines and Electric Transmission

Description: This report focuses on the Presidential Permit review processes for cross-border energy infrastructure as implemented by the Department of State, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and The Department of Energy (DOE). These permits have been required for the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of certain facilities that cross the United States borders with Canada and Mexico.
Date: August 6, 2015
Creator: Luther, Linda & Parfomak, Paul W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Vetoes of Annual Defense Authorization Bills

Description: This report briefly discusses the historical precedent of Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter's recommendation that President Obama veto the conference report on H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2016. If Obama were to veto the measure, it would mark the fifth time since 1961 that a president has vetoed that measure.
Date: October 1, 2015
Creator: Towell, Pat
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report provides answers to frequently asked questions about the presidential nominating process, including how the delegates to the national conventions are chosen, the differences between a caucus and a primary, national party rules changes for 2016, and the national conventions themselves.
Date: December 30, 2015
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fifth Circuit Declines to Lift Injunction Barring Implementation of the Obama Administration's 2014 Deferred Action Programs

Description: This legal sidebar discusses a decision by the Fifth Circuit in which they declined to lift an injunction barring the implementation of the Obama administration's 2014 deferred action programs. Additionally, the decision argued that the expansions are impermissible because they conflict with certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Date: November 12, 2015
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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President Obama’s January 4, 2012, Recess Appointments: Legal Issues

Description: This report analyzes the legal issues associated with the President's asserted exercise of his Recess Appointments Clause power on January 4, 2012. The report begins with a general legal overview of the Recess Appointment Clause. This is followed by an analysis of two legal principles, standing and the political question doctrine, which may impede a reviewing court from reaching the merits of a potential legal challenge to the appointments.
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Carpenter, David H.; Chu, Vivian S.; Dolan, Alissa M. & Garvey, Todd
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice

Description: The American impeachment process places in the legislative branch the authority to remove the President, Vice President, and other federal civil officers in the executive and judicial branches upon a determination that such officers have engaged in treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. It is one of the checks and balances grounded in the American constitutional structure. This report summarizes impeachment proceedings in the 111th Congress, examines relevant constitutional pr… more
Date: December 9, 2010
Creator: Bazan, Elizabeth B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Independent and Other Agencies During the 112th Congress

Description: This report identifies, for the 112th Congress, all nominations to full-time positions requiring Senate confirmation in 40 organizations in the executive branch (27 independent agencies, 6 agencies in the Executive Office of the President [EOP], and 7 multilateral organizations) and 4 agencies in the legislative branc
Date: January 13, 2015
Creator: Greene, Michael
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions

Description: This report discusses potential policy questions for the upcoming 114th Congress concerning the Service’s mission and organization through an examination of the USSS history and its statutory authorities, mission, and present activities within DHS. The policy questions presented in this report are only considerations, since the Service is widely perceived to be operating and performing its missions effectively for the past 11 years as part of DHS.
Date: December 18, 2014
Creator: Reese, Shawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

Description: This report provides the results of recent elections in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report provides three tables organized by region, including the date of each country's independence, the name of the newly elected president or prime minister, and the projected date of the next election.
Date: December 3, 2013
Creator: Torreon, Barbara Salazar
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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