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Overview of NEPA Requirements

Description: This report provides an overview of The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. NEPA establishes national environmental policies that apply to the federal government and also prescribes certain procedural requirements for federal agency actions.
Date: April 19, 2005
Creator: Baldwin, Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Tort Claims Act

Description: The Federal Tort Claims Act is the statute by which the United States authorizes tort suits to be brought against itself. With exceptions, it makes the United States liable for injuries caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any federal employee acting within the scope of his employment, in accordance with the law of the state where the act or omission occurred. This report discusses, among other things, the application of the Feres doctrine to suits for injuries caused by medic… more
Date: April 27, 2009
Creator: Cohen, Henry & Cohen, Henry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction

Description: This report presents a brief description of the five methods used to bring proposed legislation to the House floor for consideration. These methods allow for consideration as a privileged matter, under the limited privilege of a special calendar or day, under suspensions of the rules, under the terms of a special rule, or by unanimous consent.
Date: April 16, 2008
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 109th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices

Description: This report discusses various proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; P.L. 93-205, 16 U.S.C. §§1531-1543). Major issues include changing the role of science in decision-making, modifying critical habitat (CH) procedures, reducing conflicts with Department of Defense activities, incorporating further protection and incentives for property owners, and increasing protection of listed species, among others.
Date: April 12, 2006
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. Lynne; Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Baldwin, Pamela & Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Peace Corps: Current Issues

Description: This report discusses The Peace Corps, as Congress considers authorization and Foreign Operations appropriations legislation in 2005. Congress will debate the FY2006 level of funding for the Peace Corps and may continue the 2004 discussion of Peace Corps expansion and policies regarding the safety and security of volunteers.
Date: April 26, 2005
Creator: Tarnoff, Curt
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Funding, 110th Congress

Description: This report summarizes requests from individual committees and funding levels reported by the Committee on House Administration, and compares 110th Congress-authorized levels to authorizations for House committees in the 109th Congress.
Date: April 16, 2007
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Sale of a Principal Residence Acquired Through a Like-Kind Exchange

Description: When business or investment property is exchanged for property of a “like kind,” (often referred to as a 1031 exchange) no gain or loss is recognized on the exchange, and therefore, no tax is paid at the time of the exchange on any appreciation in the value of the property . This report discusses the like-kind exclusion, which is sometimes combined with the exclusion of tax on the gain from the sale of a principal residence. In effect, this combination can allow taxpayers to avoid paying tax on… more
Date: April 12, 2005
Creator: Esenwein, Gregg
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Affiliates in Banking, Finance, and Commerce: Development and Regulatory Background

Description: The proliferation of corporate affiliates in banking, finance, and commerce has figured in discussion of several policy issues, including how to protect against (1) losses incurred by affiliated companies; (2) anticompetitive “tying” of bank and nonbank financial services; and (3) misuse of financial data of consumers. This report outlines the nature and evolution of affiliates, primarily from a regulatory perspective. It provides background for discussing financial issues involving corporate a… more
Date: April 27, 2005
Creator: Jackson, William D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Organization and Process: A Brief Overview

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the six features of the committee system in the House: organization, hearings, markup, reporting, oversight, and publications. Committees in the House have four primary powers: to conduct hearings and investigations, to consider bills and resolutions and amendments to them, to report legislation to the House for its possible consideration, and to monitor executive branch performance, that is, to conduct oversight.
Date: April 20, 2004
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Changing Senate Rules: The “Constitutional” or “Nuclear” Option

Description: This report indicate possible attempts to curtail the use of filibusters in the Senate, perhaps in the 109th Congress. Some have suggested that proponents of this idea may invoke something called the "nuclear" or "constitutional" option in Senate floor procedure to try to end a filibuster without the need for 60 votes .
Date: April 5, 2005
Creator: Palmer, Betsy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2004 (S. 2290, 108th Congress)

Description: This report provides an overview of S. 2290, 108th Congress, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2004 (or FAIR Act of 2004). The bill is a revised version of S. 1125, 108th Congress, and would create the Office of Asbestos Disease Compensation to award damages to asbestos claimants on a no-fault basis. Asbestos claims could no longer be filed or pursued under state law, except for the enforcement of judgments no longer subject to any appeal or judicial review before the date of en… more
Date: April 14, 2004
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Farm Commodity Payment Limits: Comparison of Proposals

Description: This report discusses U.S. policy regard farm commodities. Greater public awareness of the size of commodity program payments reaching a comparatively small number of very large farms has focused the attention of Congress on payment limits. Limits on commodity program payments have been imposed since 1970. As part of the emergency economic assistance packages enacted each of the past three years, the payment limits have been doubled. In addition, a mechanism has been developed that allows farms… more
Date: April 26, 2002
Creator: Womach, Jasper
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mining on Federal Lands: Hardrock Minerals

Description: This report discusses the mining of hardrock minerals on fedearl lands, which is governed by the claim-patent system under the General Mining Law of 1872. It gives an overview the issues involved with the current system, such as competing land uses, and discusses proposed legislation meant to reform the claim-patent system.
Date: April 30, 2008
Creator: Humphries, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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War on Drugs: Reauthorization of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

Description: This report discusses the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2005 , which would reauthorize ONDCP for five years, through FY2010, and authorize funding in specific annual amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program, the media campaign, a Southwest Border violence study, and several anti-methamphetamine initiatives.
Date: April 6, 2006
Creator: Eddy, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Wildfire Funding

Description: This report briefly describes the three categories of federal programs for wildfire protection: [1] protection of the federal lands managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (FS), and by the U.S. Department of the Interior, whose wildfire programs are coordinated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM); [2] assistance for state and local governments and communities in protecting nonfederal lands; [3] support for fire research, fire facilities, and improvements in forest healt… more
Date: April 28, 2008
Creator: Gorte, Ross W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Bureau of Reclamation’s Aging Infrastructure

Description: This report describes Reclamation's approach to managing aging infrastructure as well as that of two other agencies--- the Army Corps of Engineers and the natural Resources Conservative Service--- involved with significant portfolios of dams and related infrastructures.
Date: April 30, 2008
Creator: Lane, Nic
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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