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The Budget Control Act of 2011: The Effects on Spending and the Budget Deficit When the Automatic Spending Cuts Are Implemented

Description: This report discusses the two main groups of spending reductions in the Budget Control Act of 2011: (1) discretionary spending caps and (2) an automatic $1.2 trillion spending reduction process that comes into effect on January 02, 2012. It also looks at projected effects of the Act.
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Levit, Mindy R. & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Budget Control Act of 2011: The Effects on Spending and the Budget Deficit When the Automatic Spending Cuts Are Implemented

Description: Following a lengthy debate over raising the debt limit, the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25) was signed into law by President Obama on August 2, 2011. To provide context for this debate, this report discusses the effects of the BCA on spending and the deficit, assuming that the January 2013 automatic spending reductions proceed as scheduled.
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Levit, Mindy R. & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Budget Control Act: Potential Impact of Automatic Spending Reduction Procedures on Health Reform Spending

Description: This report discusses the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25), which established new budget enforcement mechanisms for reducing the federal deficit by at least $2.1 trillion over the 10-year period FY2012-FY2021. The BCA places statutory limits, or caps, on discretionary spending for each of those 10 fiscal years, which will save an estimated $0.9 trillion during that period. In addition, it creates a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Joint Committee), which is instructed t… more
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: Redhead, C. Stephen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Building Civilian Interagency Capacity for Missions Abroad: Key Proposals and Issues for Congress

Description: This report draws on over three dozen studies with recommendations to improve the current national security system. The studies surveyed include three prepared by the Project on National Security Reform, with comprehensive recommendations, four prepared or co-sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and two by RAND in conjunction with the American Academy of Diplomats, as well as reports by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Defense Science Board, the National … more
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.; Dale, Catherine & Towell, Pat
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress

Description: The question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning. The question is of particular importance to the U.S. Navy, because many U.S. military programs for countering improved Chinese military forces would fall within the Navy's budget. Potential oversight issues for Congress include the following: whether the U.S. Navy in coming years will be large enough to adeq… more
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Climate Change and Existing Law: A Survey of Legal Issues Past, Present, and Future

Description: This report surveys existing law for legal issues that have arisen, or may arise in the future, on account of climate change and government responses thereto. These include greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, liability for harms caused by climate change, water shortages, sea level rise, natural disasters, and how immigration/refugee law does not cover relocation due to climate change impacts.
Date: July 23, 2012
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction

Description: Congress annually considers several appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous activities, for example, national defense, education, and homeland security, as well as general government operations. Congress has developed certain rules and practices for the consideration of appropriations measures, referred to as the congressional appropriations process. This report looks at this process as well as the three types of appropriates measures: regular appropriations bills, continuin… more
Date: February 23, 2012
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Critical Infrastructure Resilience: The Evolution of Policy and Programs and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses the concept of resilience in the context of critical infrastructure and homeland security. It also identifies and discusses issues related to the evolution of policy and programs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that are meant to, or could, promote the resiliency of the nation's critical infrastructure. The purpose of the report is to aid Congress in its oversight of critical infrastructure programs and activities at DHS.
Date: August 23, 2012
Creator: Moteff, John D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybercrime: Conceptual Issues for Congress and U.S. Law Enforcement

Description: This report gives an overview of cybercrime, which can include crimes such as identity theft, payment card fraud, and intellectual property theft. The report discusses where the criminal acts exist (in both the real and digital worlds), motivations for cybercrimes, and who is committing them, as well as government definitions, strategies, and methods of tracking cybercrime.
Date: May 23, 2012
Creator: Finklea, Kristin M. & Theohary, Catherine A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity: CRS Experts

Description: This report contains the table that provides names and contact information for CRS experts on policy issues related to cyber security bills currently being debated in the 112th Congress.
Date: July 23, 2012
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Depreciating Dollar: Economic Effects and Policy Response

Description: This report discusses the trend of depreciation of the dollar since 2002. This raises concern among some in Congress and the public that the dollar's decline is a symptom of broader economic problems, such as a weak economic recovery, rising public debt, and a diminished standing in the global economy. However, a falling currency is not always a problem, but possibly an element of economic adjustments that are, on balance, beneficial to the economy.
Date: February 23, 2012
Creator: Elwell, Craig K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs

Description: This report discusses veterans' employment trends and programs. The first section presents data on veterans' employment outcomes, identifying recent trends, and discussing issues to consider when interpreting veterans' employment data. The following sections present brief discussions of existing programs that provide employment-related services to veterans. These services are divided into (1) general programs that are broadly available to veterans, (2) programs that target veterans with service… more
Date: October 23, 2012
Creator: Collins, Benjamin; Bradley, David H.; Dortch, Cassandria; Kapp, Lawrence & Scott, Christine
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Discussion of Proposed Revisions

Description: For more than a decade, various experts have expressed concerns about information-system security-often referred to as cybersecurity-in the United States and abroad. This report discusses that framework and proposals to amend more than 30 acts of Congress that are part of or relevant to it.
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Programs Related to Indoor Pollution by Chemicals

Description: This report describes common indoor pollutants, discusses federal statutes that have been used to address indoor pollution, and analyzes key issues surrounding some general policy options for federal policy makers. The focus is on indoor chemical contaminants, rather than on temperature, humidity, or pollution from animals, fungal or bacterial organisms, or plant pests.
Date: July 23, 2012
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo & Bearden, David M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The First Responder Network and Next- Generation Communications for Public Safety: Issues for Congress

Description: Since September 11, 2001, when communications failures contributed to the tragedies of the day, Congress has passed several laws intended to create a nationwide emergency communications capability. Yet the United States has continued to strive for a solution that assures seamless communications among first responders and emergency personnel at the scene of a major disaster. To address this problem, Congress included provisions in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (P.L. 11… more
Date: May 23, 2012
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Global Challenge of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria

Description: This report examines formal interagency collaborative arrangements and activities, which are intended to enhance joint efforts and cooperation among independent federal agencies with shared responsibilities and overlapping jurisdictions. This report highlights some of the current challenges posed by HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, as well as several crosscutting policy issues that the 112th Congress may consider as it determines U.S. global health funding for these three diseases, including: Health … more
Date: February 23, 2012
Creator: Kendall, Alexandra E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Grandfathered Health Plans Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). January 2012

Description: This report describes grandfather plans and summarizes the ACA insurance reforms that will affect such plans, including the requirements concerning medical loss ratios, dependent coverage, and preexisting health condition coverage.
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Fernandez, Bernadette
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Health Care: Constitutional Rights and Legislative Powers

Description: The health care reform debate raises many complex issues including those of coverage, accessibility, cost, accountability, and quality of health care. Underlying these policy considerations are issues regarding the status of health care as a constitutional or legal right. This report analyzes constitutional and legal issues pertaining to a right to health care, as well as the power of Congress to enact and fund health care programs. Following the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable… more
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: Swendiman, Kathleen S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Noncitizen Eligibility for Needs-Based Housing Programs

Description: The issue of noncitizen eligibility for federally funded programs, including needs-based housing programs, is a perennial issue in Congress. Noncitizen eligibility varies among the needs-based housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), such as Public Housing, Section 8 vouchers and project-based rental assistance, homeless assistance programs, housing for the elderly (§202) and the disabled (§811), the HOME program, and the Community Developmen… more
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Siskin, Alison & McCarty, Maggie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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