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Immigration Reform Issues in the 111th Congress

Description: This report synthesizes the multi-tiered debate over immigration reform into key elements: legal immigration; legalization; immigration control; refugees, asylees, and humanitarian migrants; and alien rights, benefits, and responsibilities. It delineates the issues for the 111th Congress on permanent residence, temporary admissions, border security, worksite enforcement, employment eligibility verification, document fraud, criminal aliens, and the grounds for inadmissibility.
Date: October 29, 2010
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Good Cause Exception to Notice and Comment Rulemaking: Judicial Review of Agency Action

Description: This report will examine judicial analysis of the good cause standard and map several factors that lead courts to uphold or reject agencies' invocation of the exception. Federal agencies issue numerous rules pursuant to congressionally delegated authority. The Administrative Procedure Act's (APA's) "good cause" exception, however, permits agencies to forgo Section 553's notice and comment requirement if "the agency for good cause finds" that compliance would be "impracticable, unnecessary, or c… more
Date: January 29, 2016
Creator: Cole, Jared P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Detainers: Legal Issues

Description: Report that provides background information regarding the Immigration and Naturalization Service rules and regulations and discusses the "immigration detainer", a document by which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) advises other law enforcement agencies that it seeks custody of individual aliens whom these agencies are detaining.
Date: May 29, 2013
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Supreme Court Reiterates Congress's Exclusive Role in Regulating Lower Federal Court Jurisdiction

Description: This report discusses the Supreme Court's decision in "Hamer v. Neighborhood Housing Service of Chicago" which affirmed that only the legislative branch may make rules governing the inferior federal courts' subject-matter jurisdiction.
Date: November 29, 2017
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tricks of the Trade: Section 301 Investigation of Chinese Intellectual Property Practices Concludes (Part 2)

Description: This report is the part two of two of a report on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) recently concluded its investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the "Section 301 Investigation") "to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce." This part of the report applies the general legal framework… more
Date: March 29, 2018
Creator: Lewis, Caitlin Devereaux
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization: An Overview of Legislative Action in the 112th Congress

Description: This report looks at issues faced by the 112th Congress in regards to reauthorization of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs. The House has passed a bill which would authorize programs through FY2014, while the Senate's bill would only last until FY2011. The Senate's bill also proposes an increase in jet fuel tax for general aviation and a new jet fuel surcharge for fractionally owned air crafts. The report covers key issues that need to be addressed for reconciliation between the tw… more
Date: April 29, 2011
Creator: Elias, Bart
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Special Immigrant Juveniles: In Brief

Description: This report provides a brief explanation of the statutory basis of special immigrant juvenile (SIJ) status and how it has evolved. It also presents statistics on the number of children who have applied for and received SIJ status since FY2005. The report concludes with a discussion of the applicability of SIJ status for unaccompanied alien children.
Date: August 29, 2014
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Postal Service's Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS's) financial condition, recent legislation to alleviate the USPS's financial challenges, and possible issues for the 111th Congress. It also addresses current legislation that aims to improve the USPS's financial condition--H.R. 22, S. 1507, and H.R. 5746.
Date: July 29, 2010
Creator: Kosar, Kevin R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Policy: 113th Congress Issues

Description: This report discusses the energy policy in the United States that is focused on three major goals: assuring a secure supply of energy, keeping energy costs low, and protecting the environment.
Date: November 29, 2013
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Forestry in the Next Farm Bill

Description: This report discusses about Possible Forestry Issues for a future Farm bill, Markets for Carbon Sequestration, Markets for Other Ecosystem Services, Control of Invasive Species etc.
Date: April 29, 2010
Creator: Gorte, Ross W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Credit Bonds: Overview and Analysis

Description: Almost all state and local governments sell bonds to finance public projects and certain qualified private activities. Most of the bonds issued are tax-exempt bonds because the interest payments are not included in the bondholder's (purchaser's) federal taxable income. In contrast, Tax Credit Bonds (TCBs) are a type of bond that offers the holder a federal tax credit instead of interest. This report explains the tax credit mechanism and describes the market for the bonds.
Date: July 29, 2010
Creator: Maguire, Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Postal Service's Use of Contractors to Deliver Mail: Background and Recent Developments

Description: Currently, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is collectively bargaining with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA). One issue that may or may not be settled is the Postal Service's use of non-USPS employees (i.e., contractors) to deliver mail. If the parties cannot come to a satisfactory arrangement, Congress may be approached to consider the matter.
Date: May 29, 2012
Creator: Kosar, Kevin R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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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. 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. Recent discussions regarding President's Trump announcement that the U.S. was decertifying the nuclear agreement and the … more
Date: June 29, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dependent Care: Current Tax Benefits and Legislative Issues

Description: This report discusses current tax treatment of dependent care expenses under the dependent care tax credit (DCTC) and the dependent care assistance programs(DCAP); and issues for Congress is expanding tax benefits for working caregivers.
Date: January 29, 2010
Creator: Mulvey, Janemarie & Scott, Christine
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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EPA and the Army Corps' Rule to Define "Waters of the United States"

Description: This report describes the final revised rule defining the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA)--which the agencies refer to as the Clean Water Rule--and includes a table comparing the existing regulatory language that defines "waters of the United States" with the revisions.
Date: June 29, 2015
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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