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Executive Branch Reorganization and Management Initiatives: A Brief Overview

Description: This report provides a brief overview of recent executive branch reorganization actions and related management initiatives. It reviews the relevant plans and preparations of President-elect Barack Obama as the new Administration transitions to assuming management of the executive branch. Briefly examined, as well, are the organization and management efforts of the most recent regimes.
Date: November 26, 2008
Creator: Relyea, Harold C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Intelligence Reform at the Department of Energy: Policy Issues and Organizational Alternatives

Description: This report analyzes the temporary consolidations of the separate counterintelligence (CI) offices at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Security Administration (NSA) into a single CI office under DOE control — the first authorized by Congress at Department of Energy request; the second initiated by DOE — and examines the impact of each on the effectiveness of the Department's CI program.
Date: July 28, 2008
Creator: Cumming, Alfred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2009 Appropriations

Description: This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittees. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant. The report lists the key CRS staff relevant to the issues covered and related CRS products.
Date: July 7, 2008
Creator: Else, Daniel H.; Scott, Christine & Panangala, Sidath Viranga
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Polygraph Use by the Department of Energy: Issues for Congress

Description: This report examines how the Department of Energy's (DOE) polygraph testing program has evolved and reviews certain scientific findings with regard to the polygraph's scientific validity. Several issues include whether: DOE's new screening program is focused on an appropriate number of individuals occupying only the most sensitive positions; the program should be expanded in order to adequately safeguard certain classified information; further research into the polygraph's scientific validity i… more
Date: October 23, 2008
Creator: Cumming, Alfred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The DHS Directorate of Science and Technology: Key Issues for Congress

Description: This report describes the evolving mission, organization, and assets of the S&T Directorate and the activities it conducts. It outlines key policy issues, including the balance of the directorate's programs, its priorities and how they are set, its relationships with other R&D organizations, its mission, its budgeting and financial management, and other concerns.
Date: June 9, 2008
Creator: Shea, Dana A. & Morgan, Daniel
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations

Description: This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense. For both defense authorization and appropriations, this report summarizes the status of the bills, their scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity. This report is updated as events warrant and lists the key CRS staff relevant to the issues covered a… more
Date: May 16, 2008
Creator: Towell, Pat & Daggett, Stephen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Government Corporations: An Overview

Description: This report provides an overview of federal government corporations, a category currently consisting of some 17 corporate agencies performing functions assigned to them in law. A government corporation, as defined in this report, is a government agency that is established by Congress to provide a market-oriented public service and required to produce revenues that meet or approximate its expenditures.
Date: January 7, 2009
Creator: Kosar, Kevin R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Chemical Facility Security: Regulation and Issues for Congress

Description: This report describes the statutory authority granted to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with regards to chemical facility security regulation and the interim final rule promulgated by DHS, and identifies select issues of contention related to the interim final rule. Finally, this report discusses several possible policy options for Congress.
Date: April 28, 2008
Creator: Shea, Dana A. & Tatelman, Todd B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Intelligence Reform at the Department of Energy: Policy Issues and Organizational Alternatives

Description: This report analyzes the temporary consolidations of the separate counterintelligence (CI) offices at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Security Administration (NSA) into a single CI office under DOE control the first authorized by Congress at Department of Energy request; the second initiated by DOE — and examines the impact of each on the effectiveness of the Department's CI program.
Date: July 25, 2008
Creator: Cumming, Alfred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Homeland Security: Roles and Missions for United States Northern Command

Description: This report outlines the organizational structure of United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), explains how NORTHCOM contributes to homeland security through the interagency process, and summarizes NORTHCOM's international relationships with Canada and Mexico. Some issues for Congress involving NORTHCOM include Department of Defense (DOD) reorganization and the Unified Command Plan, improving interagency relationships, NORTHCOM's increased reliance on reserve component service members, the ong… more
Date: June 3, 2008
Creator: Knight, William
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Building an Interagency Cadre of National Security Professionals: Proposals, Recent Experience, and Issues for Congress

Description: This report highlights key past proposals for the establishment of an interagency cadre of national security professionals, including their rationales; describes and assesses the emergence and operations to date of the Administration's National Security Professional Development (NSPD) program; and raises a series of issues that might help inform congressional debates about a possible permanent interagency cadre requirement.
Date: July 8, 2008
Creator: Dale, Catherine
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2009 Appropriations

Description: This report is a guide to the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) FY2009 appropriations bill. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees. This report summarizes the funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and 22 independent agencies.
Date: June 6, 2008
Creator: Hatch, Garrett L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background, Status, and Issues

Description: This report discusses the background, status, and current issues of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The Defense Department's F-35 Lightning II JSF is one of three aircraft modernization programs in tactical aviation, the others being the Air Force F-22A fighter and the Navy F/A-18E/F fighter/attack plane.
Date: October 25, 2007
Creator: Murch, Anthony
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Intelligence Reform at the Department of Energy: Policy Issues and Organizational Alternatives

Description: Congress in 2006 agreed to temporarily consolidate separate counterintelligence (CI) offices at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Security Administration (NNSA) into a single CI office under DOE control. This report analyzes both consolidations — the first authorized by Congress at Department of Energy (DOE) request; the second initiated by DOE — and examines the impact of each on the effectiveness of the Department's CI program.
Date: July 28, 2008
Creator: Cumming, Alfred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This list of about 150 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: August 14, 2009
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Rulemaking: The Role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Description: This report discusses the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, which created the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This report addresses OIRA's responsibilities, controversies related to OIRA, and possible legislative issues involving OIRA, including increasing or decreasing the office's funding and staffing, and improvements in the transparency of OIRA's review process.
Date: June 9, 2009
Creator: Copeland, Curtis W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The National Security Council: An Organizational Assessment

Description: The National Security Council (NSC) was established in 1947. This report describes the history of the NSC, how is structure and influence have varied over the years from one Administration to another, what its current structure and who its current members are, varying opinions as to what the role of the NSC should be, and future developments for the NSC.
Date: June 8, 2009
Creator: Best, Richard A., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The DHS Directorate of Science and Technology: Key Issues for Congress

Description: The Directorate of Science and Technology is the primary organization for research and development (R&D) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The directorate is headed by the Under Secretary for Science and Technology. In the past, some Members of Congress and other observers have been highly critical of the directorate's performance. Although management changes have somewhat muted this criticism in recent years, fundamental issues remain, which this report discusses in detail. Congres… more
Date: June 22, 2009
Creator: Shea, Dana A. & Morgan, Daniel
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. National Science Foundation: An Overview

Description: The majority of the research supported by the NSF is conducted at U.S. colleges and universities. Approximately 82.7% ($3,094.8 million) of NSF's FY2006 $3,740.6 million research and development (R&D) budget was awarded to U.S. colleges and universities. On September 30, 2008, the President signed into law the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 110-329, H.R. 2638). The act includes, among other things, three of the 12 regular appropriations… more
Date: October 24, 2008
Creator: Matthews, Christine M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview

Description: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a mandate to increase the competitiveness of U.S. firms and provide the measurement, calibration, and quality assurance techniques that underpin U.S. commerce. Congressional debate has focused on the merits of NIST's external R&D programs directed toward increased private sector commercialization, including the now terminated Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). This report discusses th… more
Date: August 20, 2008
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Awards of Attorneys' Fees by Federal Courts and Federal Agencies

Description: In the United States, the general rule, which derives from common law, is that each side in a legal proceeding pays for its own attorney. There are many exceptions, however, in which federal courts, and occasionally federal agencies, may order the losing party to pay the attorneys' fees of the prevailing party. There are roughly two hundred statutory exceptions, which were generally enacted to encourage private litigation to implement public policy.
Date: June 20, 2008
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Wave, Tidal, and In-Stream Energy Projects: Which Federal Agency Has the Lead?

Description: Developments in wave, tidal, and in-stream energy generation technologies -- also referred to as hydrokinetic or marine energy -- are beginning to gain momentum. At the same time, their regulatory status is still evolving, as shown by recent changes in law aimed at clarifying hte federal role in ocean wave and renewable energy. Two federal agencies currently appear to have a lead role in offshore renewable energy projects -- the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) and… more
Date: October 7, 2008
Creator: Lane, Nic
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Protective Service and Contract Security Guards: A Statutory History and Current Status

Description: The Federal Protective Service (FPS) -- within U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) -- is responsible for protecting federal government property, personnel, visitors, and customers, including property leased by the General Services Administration (GSA). FPS currently employs over 15,000 contract security guards to protect federal property. DHS intends, according to its FY2009 budget justification, to continue the use of contract security guards… more
Date: October 14, 2008
Creator: Reese, Shawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Protective Service and Contract Security Guards: A Statutory History and Current Status

Description: The Federal Protective Service (FPS) -- within U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) -- is responsible for protecting federal government property, personnel, visitors, and customers, including property leased by the General Services Administration (GSA). FPS currently employs over 15,000 contract security guards to protect federal property. DHS intends, according to its FY2009 budget justification, to continue the use of contract security guards… more
Date: June 30, 2008
Creator: Reese, Shawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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