Search Results

open access

Seafood Marketing: Combating Fraud and Deception

Description: This report reviews recent incidents of fraud and deception relating to seafood and examines several policy issues. Congress may become involved in oversight of how federal agencies are addressing these issues, and legislation related to these concerns may be introduced.
Date: April 11, 2007
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Campus-Based Student Financial Aid Programs Under the Higher Education Act

Description: This report begins by providing a brief description of each of the campus-based programs, including the terms under which financial aid is awarded to students and the procedures under which federal funds are allocated to institutions for that purpose. It then provides historical information on federal funds appropriated for each of the programs, an analysis of the number and types of students served, and selected program statistics.
Date: May 14, 2007
Creator: Smole, David P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Mental Health Parity Act: A Legislative History

Description: This report provides a detailed history of mental health parity legislation, including a discussion of bills introduced in each Congress, and accompanying legislative action, including hearings, markups, and floor votes. This legislation is in response to concerns about the coverage of mental health benefits in group health plans, which is often much more restricted than the coverage of physical illness. Updated May 18, 2007.
Date: May 18, 2007
Creator: Sundararaman, Ramya & Redhead, C. Stephen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Foreign Direct Investment: Current Issues

Description: This report presents an overview of current issues related to foreign direct investment in the economy and the development of U.S policy toward inward and outward direct investment. It also assesses the role of foreign direct investment in the economy and the costs and benefits of direct investment.
Date: May 31, 2007
Creator: Jackson, James
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues

Description: The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Social Security program (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, or OASDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and provides administrative support to Medicare and several other federal programs. Total SSA spending in FY2006 was about $597 billion, 98% of which was mandatory spending on benefit payments. This report focuses on SSA’s spending for administrative expenses, which is discretionary and amounts to 2% of SSA’s… more
Date: June 13, 2007
Creator: Romig, Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Pension Funds Investing in Hedge Funds

Description: The proportion of U.S. corporate-defined benefit pension funds investing in hedge funds has increased to 24% in 2006, up from 19% in 2004 and 12% in 2000. Although statistics vary, total corporate pension fund assets allocated to hedge funds in 2006 was 2.1%. Because of hedge funds’ risky nature, rapid growth, lack of oversight, and recent losses, some wonder if they are appropriate investments for workers’ retirement funds. This report discusses concerns regarding hedge funds and examines poss… more
Date: June 15, 2007
Creator: Klunk, William
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

China’s Currency: Economic Issues and Options for U.S. Trade Policy

Description: The continued rise in China’s trade surplus with the United States and the world, and complaints from U.S. manufacturing firms and workers over the competitive challenges posed by Chinese imports have led several Members to call for a more aggressive U.S. stance against certain Chinese trade policies they deem to be unfair. This report examines China's currency policy its implications.
Date: June 28, 2007
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M. & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Hedge Funds: Should They Be Regulated?

Description: In view of the growing impact of hedge funds on a variety of financial markets, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in October 2004 adopted a regulation that requires hedge funds to register as investment advisers, disclose basic information about their operations, and open their books for inspection. The regulation took effect in February 2006, but on June 23, 2006, a court challenge was upheld and the rule was vacated. S. 1402 and H.R. 2586 would reinstate the SEC's authority. H.R. 2… more
Date: July 2, 2007
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The African Development Bank Group

Description: This report discusses the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, which is a regional development bank (RDB) "dedicated to combating poverty and improving the lives of people of the continent." It comprises three lending facilities: the market rate facility, the AfDB; a concessional lending facility, the African Development Fund; and a trust fund established by Nigeria to lend to low-income African countries. The Bank has 53 African members, as well as 24 non-regional members, including the Unit… more
Date: July 6, 2007
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Student Loans, Student Aid, and FY2008 Budget Reconciliation

Description: This report reviews and briefly describes the major changes proposed in H.R. 2669 to federal student loan and other federal student aid programs that would achieve savings in mandatory spending or that would result in changes to existing federal student aid programs.
Date: July 6, 2007
Creator: Stoll, Adam; Smole, David P. & Mercer, Charmaine
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Walter Reed Army Medical Center: Realignment Under BRAC 2005 and Options for Congress

Description: This report details the BRAC Commission recommendation to create the WRNMMC, and the concomitant realignment of the WRAMC. It describes the concerns raised by the community before the BRAC Commission regarding the closure of the WRAMC main post and explains each of the 13 parts of the overall recommendation.
Date: July 9, 2007
Creator: Else, Daniel H. & O'Bryant, JoAnne
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Issues, Options, and Prospects for Renewal

Description: This report presents background on the development of TPA, a summary of the major provisions under the recently expired authority, and a discussion of the issues that have arisen in the debate over TPA renewal. It also explores the policy options available to Congress and will be updated as the congressional debate unfolds.
Date: July 12, 2007
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F. & Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Risk Management and Critical Infrastructure Protection: Assessing, Integrating, and Managing Threats, Vulnerabilities and Consequences

Description: This report is meant to support congressional oversight by discussing, in more detail, what this task entails and issues that need to be addressed. In particular, the report defines terms (e.g., threat, vulnerability, and risk), discusses how they fit together in a systematic analysis, describes processes and techniques that have been used to assess them, and discusses how the results of that analysis can inform resource allocation and policy.
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Moteff, John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues

Description: The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Social Security program (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, or OASDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and provides administrative support to Medicare and several other federal programs. Total SSA spending in FY2006 was about $597 billion, 98% of which was mandatory spending on benefit payments. This report focuses on SSA’s spending for administrative expenses, which is discretionary and amounts to 2% of SSA’s… more
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Romig, Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Student Loans, Student Aid, and FY2008 Budget Reconciliation

Description: This report reviews and briefly describes the major proposals that would change the federal student loan programs to achieve savings in mandatory spending and the proposals that would enhance student aid benefits or result in changes to existing federal student aid programs.
Date: July 18, 2007
Creator: Stoll, Adam; Smole, David P. & Mercer, Charmaine
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2008 Appropriations

Description: This report is a guide to a new appropriations bill that Congress is considering for the first time this year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Financial Services and General Government. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity.
Date: July 20, 2007
Creator: Hatch, Garrett L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen