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Côte d'Ivoire Post-Gbagbo: Crisis Recovery

Description: Côte d'Ivoire is emerging from a severe political-military crisis that followed a disputed November 28, 2010, presidential runoff election between former president Laurent Gbagbo and his, former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara. Both claimed electoral victory and formed opposing governments. Their rivalry spurred a full-scale civil military conflict in early March 2011, after months of growing political violence. Armed conflict largely ended days after Gbagbo's arrest by pro-Ouattara forces, ai… more
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Cook, Nicolas
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues

Description: The United States is Colombia's leading trade partner. Colombia accounts for a very small percentage of U.S. trade (0.9% in 2010), ranking 20th among U.S. export markets and 25th as a source of U.S. imports. Economic studies on the impact of a U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (FTA) have found that, upon full implementation of an agreement, the impact on the United States would be positive but very small due to the small size of the Colombian economy when compared to that of the United States … more
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Energy Standard: Potential Qualifying Energy Sources

Description: This report begins with a brief examination of clean energy, renewable energy, and alternative energy. It then presents possible selection criteria Congress could use to determine which sources could be eligible for a CES depending on the goal(s) of the CES. The report provides an overview of the energy sources most commonly discussed as potential CES qualifying sources: biomass, fossil fuels (natural gas combined-cycle and coal-fired power plants with carbon capture and sequestration), geother… more
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi; Folger, Peter; Holt, Mark; Ratner, Michael & Sissine, Fred
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: May 3, 2011
Creator: Kendall, Alexandra E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Construction Sector in the U.S. Economy

Description: The construction sector is a major component of the U.S. economy. During the past decade, construction was a prime beneficiary of low interest rates and the housing-led economic boom, but was also one of the largest casualties of the subsequent financial crisis. Construction spending comprised about 7%-8% of U.S. annual economic output from 1995 to mid-2000, reaching nearly 9% of gross domestic product at the peak of the housing run-up in 2006, before declining to about 5% in 2010. Likewise, co… more
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Kirchhoff, Suzanne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Millennium Challenge Corporation

Description: This report discusses the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which provides economic assistance through a competitive selection process to developing nations that are pursuing political and economic reforms in three areas: ruling justly, investing in people, and fostering economic freedom. This report also discusses several concerns related to MCC implementation, including the level of funding to support MCC programs.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Tarnoff, Curt
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Proposed U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement

Description: This report discusses the free trade agreement (FTA) the United States and Panama signed on June 28, 2007. While Panama's government ratified the FTA in July 2007, the 110th, 111th, and 112th Congresses have not yet implement ratification legislation.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: U.S. Contributions and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information on the Global Fund, discusses changes the Global Fund has made to improve the efficiency of its programs and address allegations of corruption, outlines U.S. funding for the Fund, and analyzes issues Congress might consider as it debates the appropriate level of support to provide the Fund.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Expedited Rescission Bills in the 111th and 112th Congresses: Comparisons and Issues

Description: Expedited rescission bills focus on procedural changes in Congress and typically contain a detailed schedule to ensure immediate introduction of a measure to approve the President's rescission request, prompt reporting by committee or automatic discharge, special limits on floor amendments and debate, and so on. Under expedited rescission, congressional approval is still necessary to rescind the funding, but the fast-track procedures may help to encourage an up-or down vote on the President's p… more
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: McMurtry, Virginia A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and Its Implications for the United States

Description: This report is designed to shed some light on the KOREU FTA for Congress.4 It briefly reviews EU-South Korean economic ties and the respective EU and South Korean objectives regarding the KOREU FTA. It then discusses the KOREU FTA in general and examines some of its major provisions in more detail, with special focus on autos and some other manufacturing sectors, agriculture, services, and labor-areas of particular interest to U.S. policymakers and the U.S. business community. The report does n… more
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Cooper, William H.; Jurenas, Remy; Platzer, Michaela D. & Manyin, Mark E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Key Issues

Description: This report describes the Keystone XL pipeline proposal and the process required for federal approval. It summarizes key arguments for and against the pipeline put forth by the pipeline's developers, federal agencies, environmental groups, and other stakeholders. The report discusses potential consistency challenges faced by the State Department in reviewing the pipeline application given its recent prior approvals of similar pipeline projects. Finally, the report reviews the constitutional bas… more
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Parfomak, Paul W.; Nerurkar, Neelesh; Luther, Linda & Vann, Adam
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Authorization and Appropriations Bills: FY1970-FY2011

Description: This report is a research aid, which lists the Department Of Defense authorization bills and appropriations bills for FY1970-FY2011. It includes all the pertinent information on the passage of these bills through the legislative process: bill numbers, report numbers, dates reported and passed, recorded vote numbers and vote tallies, dates of passage of the conference reports with their numbers and votes, vetoes, substitutions, dates of final passage, and public law numbers. Key definitions are … more
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: DeBruyne, Nese F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage

Description: This report focuses on the current situation with spent nuclear fuel storage in the United States. It does not address all of the issues associated with permanent disposal of SNF, but rather focuses on the SNF storage situation, primarily at current and former reactor facilities for the potentially foreseeable future.
Date: May 3, 2012
Creator: Werner, James D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Jordan: Background and U.S. Relations

Description: This report provides an overview of Jordanian politics and current issues in U.S.-Jordanian relations. It provides a brief discussion of Jordan's government and economy and of its cooperation in promoting Arab-Israeli peace and other U.S. policy objectives in the Middle East.
Date: May 3, 2012
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

Description: This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, focusing particularly on the influence of the Taliban and other militant groups and on the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This report also discusses the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, in both the short and long term, and U.S. efforts under the Obama Administration to provide military, reconstructive, and stabilization aid.
Date: May 3, 2012
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Millennium Challenge Corporation

Description: This report discusses the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which provides economic assistance through a competitive selection process to developing nations that are pursuing political and economic reforms in three areas: ruling justly, investing in people, and fostering economic freedom. This report also discusses several concerns related to MCC implementation, including the level of funding to support MCC programs.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Tarnoff, Curt
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry

Description: This report reviews efforts to combat unauthorized migration across the Southwest border in the nearly three decades since the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) initiated the modern era in migration control, takes stock of the current state of border security, and considers lessons that may be learned about enhanced enforcement at U.S. borders. The report begins by reviewing the history of border control and the development of a national border control strategy beginning in the 1990s. T… more
Date: May 3, 2013
Creator: Rosenblum, Marc R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

Description: This report presents the means through which the total debt of the federal government can increase, gives a historical overview of debt limits, and discusses how the current economic slowdown has led to higher deficits and thereby a series of debt limit increases, as well as legislation related to these increases.
Date: May 3, 2013
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions

Description: This report provides an overview of the New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (START), including a comparison to the original START Treaty, the belief of the Obama Administration and outside analysts that New START will enhance U.S. national security, and the criticisms of those who say that New START is a distraction from more important items on the nonproliferation agenda.
Date: May 3, 2010
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Funeral Honors and Military Cemeteries: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report provides answers to frequently asked questions about military funeral honors and military cemeteries, including information on the eligibility criteria, required components of the honor detail, and the funeral ceremony. It also cites legislation that mandates that the Department of Defense (DOD) make military funeral honors available to every eligible veteran upon request.
Date: May 3, 2013
Creator: Torreon, Barbara S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Description: This report discusses the reasons that Iran is considered a threat to U.S. security, including Iran's nuclear program, involvement with terrorist organizations, and involvement with neighboring countries' local governments. The report also discusses ways which the U.S. hopes to modify Iran's behavior with sanctions, and the effectiveness of these sanctions.
Date: May 3, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination in Employment: A Legal Analysis of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)

Description: This report discusses issues surrounding the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on an individual's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by public and private employers in hiring, discharge, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment.
Date: May 3, 2013
Creator: Feder, Jody & Brougher, Cynthia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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