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House and Senate Vacancies: How Are They Filled?

Description: Vacancies in Congress occur due to the death, resignation, or declination (refusal to serve) of a Senator or Representative, or as the result of expulsion or exclusion by either house. The Constitution requires that vacancies in both houses be filled by special election, but in the case of the Senate, it empowers state legislatures to provide for temporary appointments by the state governor until special elections can be scheduled. This report describes this process.
Date: January 22, 2003
Creator: Richardson, Sula P. & Neale, Thomas H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Grants Work in a Congressional Office

Description: Members of Congress often get requests from constituents for information and help in obtaining funds for projects. Many state and local governments, nonprofit social service and community action organizations, private research groups, small businesses, and individuals approach congressional offices to find out about funding, both from the federal government and from the private sector. The success rate in obtaining federal assistance is not high, given the competition for federal funds. A grant… more
Date: January 24, 1997
Creator: Gerli, Merete
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Floor Procedure in the House of Representatives: A Brief Overview

Description: The House considers bills and resolutions on the floor under several different sets of procedures governing the time for debate and the opportunities for amendment. Some procedures allow 40 or 60 minutes for debate; others permit debate to continue until a majority of Members vote to end it. Some procedures prohibit most or all floor amendments; others allow Members to offer any amendments that meet the requirements of the House’s rules and precedents. Notwithstanding these differences, the rul… more
Date: January 24, 2001
Creator: Bach, Stanley
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Markup: Preparation

Description: Markups provide Members on a committee an opportunity to change parts of a bill prior to its consideration by the full House. A number of administrative, procedural, and substantive steps must be undertaken in preparation for a markup, and other steps could or should be undertaken. Generally, the markup should be strategically planned to minimize controversy, provide Members with political dividends, and position the committee for future action. This report is intended as a guide for various ta… more
Date: January 11, 1999
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Markup: Reporting

Description: At the end of the amendment process, the chair normally entertains a motion to report a measure favorably to the House. This report addresses the procedural options committees have regarding the form of reporting, such as what happens to amendments adopted in markup, as well as other considerations at the time of reporting.
Date: January 11, 1999
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Markup: Amendment Procedure

Description: This report briefly discusses committee markups in the House of Representatives. The essential purpose of a committee markup is to determine whether a measure pending before a committee should be altered, or amended, in any substantive way. Of course, committees do not actually amend measures; instead a committee votes on which amendments it wishes to recommend to the House.
Date: January 11, 1999
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Instructing House Conferees

Description: This report describes the process of reaching the final agreement between house and senate over the final version of a bill that the two houses have passes in different forms.
Date: January 27, 1999
Creator: Bach, Stanley
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tracking Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Basic Sources

Description: This report introduces selected basic sources that are useful in obtaining background information or specific facts on the status of federal legislative or regulatory initiatives. It includes telephone, online, and media sources are included, as well as pertinent directories, such as those of organizations that track areas of interest. Annotations describing each source's contents and organization are included so that researchers can select those that most closely fit their needs. Internet addr… more
Date: January 13, 2005
Creator: Davis, Carol D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2003

Description: This report discusses changes in the list of recipients of the Medal of Honor (MoH). This report lists those changes by military action and provides the full text of their official citations.
Date: January 20, 2003
Creator: Richardson, Glenda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Appropriations for FY2003: Legislative Branch

Description: Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It summarizes the current legislative status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related legislative activity.
Date: January 27, 2003
Creator: Dwyer, Paul E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2005

Description: The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest award for military valor. Since its inception in 1863, 3,461 Medals of Honor have been awarded to a total of 3,442 individuals (there have been 19 double recipients). In 1979, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee issued the committee print, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863- 1978, which lists recipients and provides the full text of the citations describing the actions that resulted in the awarding of the Medal. This report describes and discusses chan… more
Date: January 12, 2006
Creator: Gomez-Granger, Julissa
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Status of a Member of the House Who Has Been Indicted for or Convicted of a Felony

Description: There are no federal statutes or Rules of the House of Representatives that directly affect the status of a Member of Congress who has been indicted for a crime that constitutes a felony. No rights or privileges are forfeited under the Constitution, statutory law or the Rules of the House merely upon an indictment for an offense, prior to an establishment of guilt under the judicial system. Thus, under House Rules, an indicted Member may continue to participate in congressional proceedings and … more
Date: January 5, 2006
Creator: Maskell, Jack
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Protection of Classified Information by Congress: Practices and Proposals

Description: The protection of classified national security and other controlled information is of concern not only to the executive branch, which determines what information is to be safeguarded, for the most part,1 but also to Congress, which uses such information to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities. As a result, Congress has established procedures and mechanisms to protect controlled information in its custody. These arrangements, however, differ between the House and the Senate and among pan… more
Date: January 11, 2006
Creator: Kaiser, Frederick M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Kosovo's Future Status and U.S. Policy

Description: The future status of Kosovo is perhaps the most sensitive and potentially destabilizing political question in the Balkans. The Administration views “getting Kosovo right” as key to integrating the Balkans into Euro-Atlantic institutions. This report discusses the issue of Kosovo’s future status; that is, whether it should become an independent country, or have some form of autonomy within Serbia. Talks on Kosovo’s status could begin in January 2006 and is expected to be concluded by the end of … more
Date: January 9, 2006
Creator: Woehrel, Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Grants Work in a Congressional Office

Description: Congressional offices are often approached by constituents seeking funds for proposals of potential benefit to their State or district. This report discusses the grants process and varying approaches and techniques congressional offices have developed in dealing with grants requests.
Date: January 1, 1982
Creator: Newman, Rhoda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Violence Against Members of Congress and Their Staff: Selected Examples and Congressional Responses

Description: This report describes legislation introduced in the 112th Congress related to violence against members and congressional staff, provides examples of violence in which members of Congress were the apparent target, and some actions Congress has taken based in part on those incidents. This report comes in the aftermath of a recent attack in Tucson, Arizona, in which congressional staff and several constituents were injured or killed.
Date: January 25, 2011
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric; Manning, Jennifer E. & Hemlin, Erin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables

Description: This report contains information on the pay procedure and recent adjustments. It also contains historical information on the rate of pay for Members of Congress since 1789; the adjustments projected by the Ethics Reform Act as compared to actual adjustments in Member pay; details on past legislation enacted with language prohibiting the annual pay adjustment; and Member pay in constant and current dollars since 1992.
Date: January 4, 2012
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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