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Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Description: This report discusses the reasons that Iran is considered a threat to U.S. security, including Iran's nuclear program, involvement with terrorist organizations, and involvement with neighboring countries' local governments. The report also discusses ways which the U.S. hopes to modify Iran's behavior with sanctions, and the effectiveness of these sanctions.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cars, Trucks, and Climate: EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources

Description: As Congress and the Administration considered new legislation to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change over the last year and a half (a process that has now stalled), the Environmental Protection Agency simultaneously began to exercise its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to set standards for GHG emissions. The Administration has made clear that its preference would be for Congress to address the climate issue through new legislation. Nevertheless… more
Date: November 2, 2010
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Rules and Precedents Affecting Committee Markup Procedures

Description: Markup procedure in standing committee of the House of Representatives generally conform to guidelines the House follows when it conducts business on the floor under a set of procedures known as consideration by the "House as in Committee of the Whole." This report briefly discusses these procedures as they relate to legislative business conducted on the floor and in committee.
Date: November 19, 2010
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Chemical Facility Security: Reauthorization, Policy Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: This report discusses the efforts undertaken since even prior to September 11, 2001, to increase safety and security measures for facilities possessing certain amounts of hazardous chemicals. The 109th congress passed legislation in 2006 providing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statutory authority to regulate chemical facilities for security purposes. This statutory authority expires in December 2010. This report provides a brief overview of the existing statutory authority and the r… more
Date: November 15, 2010
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Guinea: Background and Relations with the United States

Description: This report discusses the current political conditions in Guinea, as well as the considerable changes to Guinea's political landscape that have taken place over the past two years. The report also discusses U.S. interests and associated policy challenges in Guinea, centering around democratization, counternarcotics issues, regional stability, and socioeconomic development, among other issues.
Date: November 24, 2010
Creator: Arieff, Alexis & Cook, Nicolas
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process

Description: A primary avenue for exercising Congress's power of the purse is the authorization and appropriation of federal spending to carry out government activities. This report discusses the formal authorization-appropriation process.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Advance Appropriations, Forward Funding, and Advance Funding

Description: pppropriations acts generally make budget authority (or BA) available for use (or obligation) at the start of the fiscal year covered by the act. Sometimes appropriations bills provide a different date for specified budget authority within the act to become first available so that the funding cycle does not coincide with the fiscal year generally covered by the act. There are three types of this kind of budget authority: advance appropriations, forward funding, and advance funding.
Date: November 22, 2010
Creator: Streeter, Sandy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Uniform Procurement: Questions and Answers

Description: Military uniforms are procured through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), an agency of the Department of Defense (DOD). DLA is DOD's largest combat support agency, providing worldwide logistics support for the United States (U.S.) military services, civilian agencies, and foreign countries. With headquarters in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, DLA operates three supply centers, one of which is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), in Philadelphia, PA. DSCP is responsible for procuring nearly a… more
Date: November 23, 2010
Creator: Grasso, Valerie Bailey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Peace Corps: Current Issues

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the Peace Corps and discusses how the 111th Congress is considering the President's annual funding request for the Peace Corps and efforts to reauthorize the Peace Corps. Current issues for Congress include the extent to which there is available funding for Peace Corps expansion, whether the Peace Corps has the institutional capacity to expand, and whether volunteers are able to function in a safe and secure environment.
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Tarnoff, Curt
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Special Order Speeches and Other Forms of Non-Legislative Debate in the House

Description: This report briefly discusses non-legislative debate in the House of Representatives, specifically special order speeches, one-minute speeches, and morning hour debate. The purpose of these practices is to permit Members to address the House for specified durations and at specified times of their own choosing, outside the consideration of legislative business.
Date: November 24, 2010
Creator: Palmer, Betsy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Parental Child Abductions

Description: International child custody disputes are likely to increase in frequency as the global society becomes more integrated and mobile. Since 1988, the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction ("Hague Convention" or "Convention") has been the principal mechanism for enforcing the return of abducted children to the United States. This report will discuss the applicability of the Hague Convention and current U.S. laws, both civil and criminal, which seek to address the qu… more
Date: November 22, 2010
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Algeria: Current Issues

Description: The focus of this report is Algeria, a country in North Africa that is increasingly important for U.S. efforts to counter international terrorism as a key partner in the fight against Al Qaeda linked groups. As an energy producer, it also is a significant source of natural gas for the United States and not a major recipient of U.S. aid. This report discusses Algeria's current political conditions and Algeria-related U.S. policy.
Date: November 22, 2010
Creator: Migdalovitz, Carol
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

Description: This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, as well as the Afghan government. This report also discusses Afghanistan's relationship with the United States, particularly U.S. efforts to urge President Hamid Karzai, to address corruption within the Afghan government. The report also includes discussion of election fraud and corruption in Afghanistan.
Date: November 12, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks

Description: Iraq's political system, the result of a U.S.-supported election process, is increasingly characterized by peaceful competition rather than violence, but sectarianism and ethnic and factional infighting continue to simmer. This report discusses the current state of Iraq, concentrating primarily on the actions of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, efforts underway to combat sectarian violence, and the projected U.S. troop withdrawal by August 2010.
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: An Overview

Description: This report gives an overview of the veto powers given to the President according to Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution. It contains sections on the Constitutional basis and importance of vetoes, overriding a veto, and the vetoes that have been exercised and overridden. It includes statistics and tables of Presidential vetoes 1789-2010.
Date: November 18, 2010
Creator: Kosar, Kevin R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Flooding in Pakistan: Overview and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses the recent widespread flooding in Pakistan, which has affected about 20 million Pakistanis. U.S. interest in the flooding stems from the significant humanitarian and economic implications for Pakistan, and the security implications for U.S. interests in the region.
Date: November 18, 2010
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan; Sheikh, Pervaze A. & Vaughn, Bruce
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Veterans' Benefits: Current Life Insurance Programs

Description: This report provides information on the current Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) life insurance programs available for servicemembers and veterans, management and administration issues, and associated policy issues and legislation.
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Scott, Christine
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Oil Refining Industry: Background in Changing Markets and Fuel Policies

Description: This report begins by looking at the current production capacity of the oil refineries operating in the United States, and the sources and changes in crude oil supply. It then examines the changing characteristics of petroleum and petroleum product markets and identifies the effects of these changes on the refining industry. The report concludes with discussion of the policy and regulatory factors that are likely to affect the structure and performance of the industry during the next decade.
Date: November 22, 2010
Creator: Andrews, Anthony; Pirog, Robert & Sherlock, Molly F.
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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