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Iran Sanctions

Description: This report discusses U.S. sanctions against Iran and the 2016 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement which led to the lifting of sanctions based on nuclear proliferation in Iran. It outlines the various sanctions against Iran and their current implementation status, international efforts to bring about compliance, and their effects; it also addresses recent discussions regarding President's Trump announcement that the U.S. was decertifying the nuclear agreement and the po… more
Date: November 28, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Sanctions on Russia

Description: This report provides a comprehensive overview of U.S. sanctions against Russia. It provides an overview of U.S. sanctions authorities and tools; describes various sanctions regimes that have been used and entities or that are available for this purpose, addressing authorities, tools, targets, and historical context; briefly discusses countersanctions by Russia; addresses the evolution of U.S. coordination with the European Union; and assesses the economic impact of sanctions on Russia at the l… more
Date: November 28, 2018
Creator: Welt, Cory; Archick, Kristin; Nelson, Rebecca M. & Rennack, Dianne E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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District Court Temporarily Blocks Implementation of Asylum Restrictions on Unlawful Entrants at the Southern Border

Description: This report discusses the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) barring the Trump Administration from implementing new asylum restrictions. The asylum restrictions were prompted by reports of a "migrant caravan" traveling through Mexico to the southern border of the United States.
Date: November 27, 2018
Creator: Smith, Hillel R. & Harrington, Ben
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Defense Production Act of 1950: History, Authorities, and Considerations for Congress

Description: This report examines some of the extensive history of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA), focusing primarily on its creation and most recent legislative reauthorization. This report also identifies relevant delegations of the President's DPA authorities made in Executive Order (E.O.) 13603 -- National Defense Resources Preparedness -- and provides a brief overview of issues Congress may consider in its oversight.
Date: November 20, 2018
Creator: Brown, Jared T. & Schwartz, Moshe
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Who Can Serve as Acting Attorney General

Description: This report discusses the two primary arguments raised to challenge the President's decision to name Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General: first, that the Vacancies Act does not apply because another statute, 28 U.S.C. § 508, provides that the Deputy Attorney General (DAG) serves as Acting AG in the event of a vacancy; and second, that the Appointments Clause prohibits Whitaker, a non-Senate-confirmed official, from serving as the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Date: November 15, 2018
Creator: Brannon, Valerie C. & Cole, Jared P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Supersonic Passenger Flights

Description: This report provides an overview of the development of supersonic air travel, renewed interest in supersonic passenger flights, and issues and challenges related to supersonic flights.
Date: November 14, 2018
Creator: Tang, Rachel Y.; Elias, Bart; Luther, Linda & Morgan, Daniel
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran Sanctions

Description: This report analyzes U.S. and international sanctions against Iran. The report tracks "implementation" of the various U.S. laws and Executive Orders as designations and imposition of sanctions. Some sanctions require the blocking of U.S.-based property of sanctioned entities.
Date: November 6, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Posse Comitatus Act and Related Matters: A Sketch

Description: This report examines instances, as approved by Congress, where circumstances warrant a departure from the general rule of the Posse Comitatus Act, wherein the military is typically prevented from direct involvement in civilian affairs.
Date: November 6, 2018
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Posse Comitatus Act and Related Matters: The Use of the Military to Execute Civilian Law

Description: This report provides an historical analysis of the use of the Armed Forces to execute domestic law and of the Posse Comitatus Act, including their apparent theoretical and constitutional underpinnings. The report then outlines the current application of the act as well as its statutory exceptions, and reviews the consequences of its violation.
Date: November 6, 2018
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Funding for EPA Water Infrastructure: A Fact Sheet

Description: This report provides a table showing budget requests and appropriations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) water infrastructure assistance programs since 1973.
Date: November 5, 2018
Creator: Ramseur, Jonathan L. & Tiemann, Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Disability Under the Twenty-fifth Amendment: Constitutional Provisions and Perspectives for Congress

Description: This report provides a description and analysis of Sections 3 and 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, which deal with presidential disability or inability. It also reviews the history of presidential disability and earlier proposals to provide for such contingencies, provides a legislative history of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment and examines relevant legislative proposals pending in the 115th Congress.
Date: November 5, 2018
Creator: Neale, Thomas H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Asylum and Related Protections for Aliens Who Fear Gang and Domestic Violence

Description: This report examines asylum claims with specific focus on gang and domestic violence. It provides background on the topic and also outlines the U.S. Attorney General's decision in "Matter of A-B-," as well as recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in light of that ruling.
Date: October 25, 2018
Creator: Smith, Hillel R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background on issues affecting the Arctic region on a large number of topics including research, policy, and governance of the region. It also outlines specific issues for Congressional consideration such as transportation, pollution, affects on people and animals, and geopolitical concerns.
Date: October 25, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald; Comay, Laura B.; Folger, Peter; Frittelli, John; Humphries, Marc; Leggett, Jane A. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The United States and the "World Court"

Description: This report reviews the most recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) proceedings against the United States by Iran and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the implications for Congress of the Trump Administration's withdrawal decision.
Date: October 17, 2018
Creator: Mulligan, Stephen P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Deference and its Discontents: Will the Supreme Court Overrule Chevron?

Description: The Chevron deference is a seminal administrative law doctrine established by the Court's opinion in the 1984 case of Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. As several members of the Supreme Court are critical of the doctrine, this report discusses the possibility of the Court reconsidering Chevron in the near future.
Date: October 11, 2018
Creator: Brannon, Valerie C. & Cole, Jared P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Protecting Consumers and Businesses from Fraudulent Robocalls

Description: This report discusses efforts by Congress and the Federal Communications Commision (FCC) to combat robocall scams and prevent them from reaching consumers. It includes an overview of what robocalls are, their legitimate uses, regulation, and complaint procedures for consumers.
Date: October 10, 2018
Creator: Figliola, Patricia Moloney
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Venezuela: Political and Economic Crisis and U.S. Policy

Description: This report discusses the ongoing political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela under President Nicolás Maduro and U.S. responses.
Date: October 9, 2018
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agency Delay: Congressional and Judicial Means to Expedite Agency Rulemaking

Description: This report outlines the various tools that Congress can use to encourage agencies to act within a particular time frame. It then analyzes how those tools inform judicial analysis of challenges to agency actions as "unreasonably delayed" or "unlawfully withheld" under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and provides concluding remarks..
Date: October 5, 2018
Creator: Hickey, Kevin J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Do Courts Have Inherent Authority to Release Secret Grand Jury Materials?

Description: This report discusses the issue of releasing secret grand jury material. Although a long-established principle that has been deemed essential to the grand jury's functioning and independence is that matters occurring before it are to be kept secret, the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) establishes exceptions.
Date: October 5, 2018
Creator: Foster, Michael A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Statutory Canon Aimed at International Organization Immunity

Description: This report discusses the upcoming Supreme Court case Jam v. International Finance Corp. The petitioners--a group of Indian nationals from Gujarat--seek to hold International Finance Corp. (IFC) liable for extensive environmental damage throughout their community caused by the construction of a power plant financed and overseen by IFC. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (D.C. Circuit) dismissed their lawsuit, holding, in accordance with the circuit's precedent, that the Internationa… more
Date: October 5, 2018
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Venezuela: Overview of U.S. Sanctions

Description: This report discusses the sanctions the U.S. employs against Venezuela related to terrorism, drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, antidemocratic actions, human rights violations, and corruption.
Date: October 4, 2018
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Government Contract Bid Protests: Analysis of Legal Processes and Recent Developments

Description: This report briefly analyzes the varying legal procedures applicable to bid protests under each forum. First, it provides an overview of bid protests generally and then analyzes the legal distinctions among these forums. Finally, the report discusses recent legislative developments affecting bid protest procedures and potential considerations for Congress.
Date: September 26, 2018
Creator: Carpenter, David H. & Schwartz, Moshe
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Iran Sanctions

Description: This report discusses U.S. sanctions against Iran and the 2016 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement which led to the lifting of sanctions based on nuclear proliferation in Iran. The bulk of the report outlines the various sanctions against Iran and their current implementation status, international efforts to bring about compliance, and their effects; it also addresses recent discussions regarding President's Trump announcement that the U.S. was decertifying the nuclear … more
Date: September 26, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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