Search Results

open access

The Amending Process in the House of Representatives

Description: The amending process on the floor of the House of Representatives gives Members an opportunity to change the provisions of the bills and resolutions on which they are going to vote. This report summarizes many of the procedures and practices affecting this process, which can be among the most complex as well as the most important stages of legislative consideration.
Date: January 30, 2001
Creator: Bach, Stanley
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Privileged Business on the House Floor

Description: Privileged business is the legislative business of the House that Members have a right to call up for consideration on the floor when the House is not engaged in considering some other matter. Privileged business consists of various kinds of bills, resolutions, and other matters
Date: March 30, 1998
Creator: Bach, Stanley
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: Selected Legislation from the 108th Congress

Description: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as passed in 1978, provided a statutory framework for the use of electronic surveillance in the context of foreign intelligence gathering. In doing so, Congress sought to strike a balance between national security interests and personal privacy rights. Subsequent legislation expanded federal laws dealing with foreign intelligence gathering to address physical searches, pen registers and trap and trace devices, and access to certain business records.
Date: September 30, 2004
Creator: Bazan, Elizabeth B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Emergency Management Preparedness Standards: Overview and Options for Congress

Description: This report provides Emergency an Overview and Options for Congress on Emergency Management Preparedness Standards which includes major recommendations like adoption and use of emergency response standards, mutual aid provisions, private sector preparedness.
Date: August 30, 2006
Creator: Bea, Keith
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Horse Slaughter Prevention Bills and Issues

Description: In 2006 two Texas plants and one in Illinois slaughtered nearly 105,000 horses for human food, mainly for European and Asian consumers. In 2007, court action effectively closed the Texas plants, and a new state ban in Illinois closed the plant. Meanwhile, activists have continued to press for legislative bans appropriated funds and user fees for inspection of horses for human food.
Date: September 30, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Discharge Rule in the House: Principal Features and Uses

Description: This report discusses the "discharge rule" of the House of Representatives, which allows a measure to come to the floor for consideration, even if the committee of referral does not report it and the leadership does not schedule it. The rule permits either (1) the committee of referral to be discharged from the measure itself; or (2) the Committee on Rules to be discharged from a special rule for considering the measure.
Date: January 30, 2003
Creator: Beth, Richard S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2010 (74th-111th Congresses)

Description: This report discusses how lame duck sessions occur, and the background of the lame duck sessions between 1940 and 2010. A “lame duck” session of Congress occurs whenever one Congress meets after its successor is elected, but before the term of the current Congress ends.
Date: August 30, 2011
Creator: Beth, Richard S. & Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Description: This report presents an overview of Qatar's history and recent economic and political developments. The report discusses U.S. relations with Qatar, U.S. military cooperation and foreign assistance, political reform and elections, as well as human rights and social issues.
Date: January 30, 2014
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief

Description: This report provides basic information on congressional salaries and allowances and recent developments. First, the report briefly summarizes the current salary of Members of Congress; limits or prohibitions on their outside earned income, honoraria, and tax deductions; options for life and health insurance; and retirement benefits. Second, the report provides information on allowances available to Representatives and Senators to support them in their official and representational duties.
Date: December 30, 2014
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Medal of Honor: History and Issues

Description: This report considers the history of the Medal of Honor. In addition, the laws and regulations pertaining to the award, and the privileges/benefits available to the recipients are discussed. Finally, this report analyzes efforts to have the Medal of Honor awarded to certain individuals outside of the normal procedures.
Date: March 30, 2006
Creator: Burrelli, David F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Medal of Honor: History and Issues

Description: This report discusses the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for inspecting most meat, poultry, and processed egg products for safety, wholesomeness, and proper labeling.
Date: March 30, 2006
Creator: Burrelli, David F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Creation of Executive Departments: Highlights from the Legislative History of Modern Precedents

Description: This report describes the principal elements of legislative process used to establish these executive branch entities. Legislative histories of the organic acts of these Cabinet departments are set out in narrative form in the body of the report, and in tabular format in the appendix.
Date: July 30, 2002
Creator: Carr, Thomas P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress

Description: The post-World War II U.S.-Japan alliance has long been an anchor of the U.S. security role in East Asia. The alliance, with its access to bases in Japan, where about 53,000 U.S. troops are stationed, facilitates the forward deployment of U.S. military forces in the Asia-Pacific, thereby undergirding U.S. national security strategy. For Japan, the alliance and the U.S. nuclear umbrella provide maneuvering room in dealing with its neighbors, particularly China and North Korea. The Bush Administr… more
Date: June 30, 2006
Creator: Chanlett-Avery, Emma; Manyin, Mark E. & Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

HIV/AIDS International Programs: Appropriations, FY2003-FY2005

Description: On December 8th, 2004, President Bush signed into law the conference version of the FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations. The bill provides $2.9 billion for international AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria programs- somewhat more than the Administration's request of $2.8 billion.
Date: December 30, 2004
Creator: Copson, Raymond W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Health Benefits for Members of Congress

Description: Report that covers health benefits made available to Members of Congress through federal government employment, including Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, long-term care insurance, services at the Office of the Attending Physician and military hospitals, and Medicare. It also offers a comparison of FEHBP to health benefits offered by the private sector and state and local governments and a discussion of the effect of the… more
Date: November 30, 2012
Creator: Cornell, Ada S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Apportioning Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives Using the 2013 Estimated Citizen Population

Description: This report examines the impact on the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives if such a change were to occur, using an estimate of the 2013 citizen population in place of the 2010 apportionment population to determine the potential distribution of seats in the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress.
Date: October 30, 2015
Creator: Crocker, Royce
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Secret Sessions of the House and Senate: Authority, Confidentiality, and Frequency

Description: This report discusses secret, or closed, sessions of the House and Senate, which exclude the press and the public. They may be held for matters deemed to require confidentiality and secrecy--such as national security, sensitive communications received from the President, and Senate deliberations during impeachment trials. Although Members usually seek advance agreement for going into secret session, any Member of Congress may request a secret session without notice.
Date: December 30, 2014
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen