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2012-2013 Presidential Election Period: National Security Considerations and Options

Description: This report discusses historical national security-related presidential transition activities, provides a representative sampling of national security issues a new Administration may encounter, and offers considerations and options relevant to each of the five phases of the presidential election period. Each phase has distinct challenges and opportunities for the incoming Administration, the outgoing Administration, and Congress. This report is intended to provide a framework for national secur… more
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Rollins, John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Appointments, the Senate's Confirmation Process, and Changes Made in the 112th Congress

Description: This report provides information on presidential appointments in the executive and judicial branch including a brief background on advice and consent issues, an overview of the appointment process in both the executive and legislative branches, and a brief discussion of recent concerns about the system. Also, the report explores the events in the 112th Congress leading up to the introduction and passage of two measures purported to make the appointment process easier and quicker, and it conclu… more
Date: October 9, 2012
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections

Description: This report provides information about the electoral college, its origins, who makes up the college today, the 2012 presidental election, and calls for the reform of the electoral college.
Date: October 22, 2012
Creator: Neale, Thomas H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Appointee Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation and Committees Handling Nominations

Description: Report that identifies, by Senate committee, presidentially appointed positions requiring Senate confirmation based on referrals as of the date of passage of S. 679, which became P.L. 112-166 on August 10, 2012. It begins with a brief description of the referral process and identify, for each committee to which referrals have been made, the positions that fall within the committee's jurisdiction.
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Davis, Christopher M. & Mansfield, Jerry W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Counting Electoral Votes: An Overview of Procedures at the Joint Session, Including Objections by Members of Congress

Description: Report that describes the steps which precede the joint session and the procedures set in the Constitution and statute by which the House and Senate jointly certify the results of the electoral vote. It also discusses the procedures set in law governing challenges to the validity of an electoral vote, and makes reference to the procedures followed during the joint session in 2005 by which the election of George W. Bush was certified.
Date: November 30, 2012
Creator: Maskell, Jack & Rybicki, Elizabeth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nominations to Cabinet Positions During Inter-Term Transitions Since 1984

Description: This report documents nominations to Cabinet positions during inter-term presidential transitions since 1984. During this period, three two-term Presidents — Ronald W. Reagan, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush — made 30 nominations during inter-term transitions. For the purposes of this report, CRS considered an inter-term nomination to be one made between November 1 of a President's reelection year and April 30 of the first year of his second term.
Date: February 20, 2013
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.; Hogue, Henry B. & Greene, Michael W.
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 (FPA). It details the benefits provided to former Presidents and their costs. Congress has the authority to reduce, increase, or maintain the pension and benefits provided to former Presidents of the United States. This report considers the potential effects of maintaining the FPA or amending the FPA in ways that might reduce or otherwise modify a former President's benefits.
Date: March 21, 2013
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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President Obama's First-Term U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations: An Analysis and Comparison with Presidents Since Reagan

Description: This report seeks to inform the current debate in three ways: first, by providing a statistical analysis of President Barack Obama's nominees, during his first term, to U.S. circuit court of appeals and U.S. district court judgeships, and of any actions taken on their nominations by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate; second, by using various statistical measures to compare the success of President Obama's judicial nominees, during his first term, in advancing through the Senate… more
Date: May 2, 2013
Creator: McMillion, Barry J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Recess Appointments Made by President Barack Obama

Description: This report identifies recess appointments by President Obama, from the beginning of his presidency, on January 20, 2009, until June 3, 2013. The report discusses these recess appointments in the context of recess appointment authorities and practices generally, and it provides related statistics
Date: June 11, 2013
Creator: Hogue, Henry B. & Bearden, Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Recess Appointments: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report supplies brief answers to some frequently-asked questions regarding recess appointments. These are appointments to high-level policy-making positions in federal departments which are generally confirmed by the Senate. When the Senate is in recess, the President may make a temporary appointment, called a recess appointment, to any such position without Senate approval.
Date: July 7, 2013
Creator: Hogue, Henry B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview

Description: This report provides background information on funding gaps since FY 1977, and it discusses the general practice of the federal government when a funding gap occurs.
Date: September 23, 2013
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview

Description: This report provides background information regarding the Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. 1341 1342, 1511-1519) that generally bars the obligation of funds in the absence of appropriations. The report discusses the interval during the fiscal year when appropriations for a particular project or activity are not enacted into law, either in the form of a regular appropriations act or a continuing resolution (CR), which are referred to as a funding gap.
Date: September 23, 2013
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview

Description: This report provides background information on funding gaps since FY 1977, and it discusses the general practice of the federal government when a funding gap occurs.
Date: October 11, 2013
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
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 (supplementation of sanctions applicable to Al Qaeda and former Iraqi regime officials to cover terrorists operating in Iraq). It also examines the reach of the executive order and provides legal analyses of some of the constitutional questions raised in the court… more
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications

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 24, 2014
Creator: Shogan, Colleen J. & Neale, Thomas H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications

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 24, 2014
Creator: Shogan, Colleen J. & Neale, Thomas H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Funding of Presidential Nominating Conventions: Overview and Policy Options

Description: This report provides an overview and analysis of two recurring questions surrounding the federal government's role in financing presidential nominating conventions. First, how much public funding supports presidential nominating conventions? Second, what options exist for changing that amount if Congress chooses to do so?
Date: January 27, 2014
Creator: Garrett, R. Sam & Reese, Shawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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National Monuments and the Antiquities Act

Description: This report discusses the Antiquities Act of 1906, monument issues and controversies, as well as administration and legislative activities.
Date: March 21, 2014
Creator: Hardy-Vincent, Carol & Alexander, Kristina
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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National Monuments and the Antiquities Act

Description: This report discusses the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes the President to proclaim national monuments on federal lands that contain historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, or other objects of historic or scientific interest. The President is to reserve "the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected." The act was designed to protect federal lands and resources quickly, and Presidents have proclaimed a total of 137 monu… more
Date: March 21, 2014
Creator: Vincent, Carol H. & Alexander, Kristina
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 concerning the U.S. Secret Service through an examination of the Service's history and its statutory authorities, mission, and present activities within Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Date: March 25, 2014
Creator: Reese, Shawn
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: April 9, 2014
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Historical Background and Legal Implications

Description: This report provides historical background on the enactment of declarations of war and authorizations for the use of force and analyzes their legal effects under international and domestic law. It also sets forth their texts in two appendices. The report includes an extensive listing and summary of statutes that are triggered by a declaration of war, a declaration of national emergency, and/or the existence of a state of war. The report concludes with a summary of the congressional procedures a… more
Date: April 18, 2014
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K. & Weed, Matthew C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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