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Guide to Individuals Seated on the Senate Dais

Description: This report is a brief summary of House and Senate procedures for reaching agreement on legislation. It discusses the provisions of House Rule XXII and Senate Rule XXVIII as well as other applicable rules, precedents, and practices. The report focuses on the most common and customary procedures.
Date: July 16, 2003
Creator: Amer, Mildred L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Authority Over the Federal Courts

Description: This report examines Congress' legislative authority with respect to the Judicial Branch. While Congress has broad power to regulate the structure, administration and jurisdiction of the courts, its powers are limited by precepts of due process, equal protection and separation of powers.
Date: May 16, 2005
Creator: Bazan, Elizabeth B.; Killian, Johnny H. & Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Parliamentary Reference Sources: House of Representatives

Description: This report discusses the availability and format of three types of parliamentary reference materials: official sources such as the House Rules and Manual and the published precedents; publications of committees and offices of the House; and documents prepared by House party and leadership organizations. It also reviews some principles of House parliamentary procedure that are important to consider when using information from parliamentary reference sources.
Date: March 16, 2004
Creator: Carr, Thomas P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Amendments in the Senate: Types and Forms

Description: The amending process is central to the consideration of legislation by the Senate. This report briefly describes the various types of amendments that take place in the Senate.
Date: April 16, 2008
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
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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"Sense of" Resolutions and Provisions

Description: This report discusses specific kinds of resolutions by which Congress may formally express opinions about subjects of current national interest through freestanding simple or concurrent resolutions (called generically "sense of the House," "sense of the Senate," or "sense of the Congress" resolutions). These opinions expressing the views of one or both chambers may be included in other legislation upon introduction or subsequently added by amendment. This report identifies the various forms the… more
Date: May 16, 2016
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Amending Process in the House of Representatives

Description: This report summarizes many of the procedures and practices affecting the amending process on the floor of the House of Representatives. The process gives Members an opportunity to change the provisions of the bills and resolutions on which they are going to vote; it can be among the most complex as well as the most important stages of legislative consideration.
Date: April 16, 2003
Creator: Davis, Christopher M. & Bach, Stanley
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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NATO Enlargement: Senate Advice and Consent

Description: This report describes the provisions of the North Atlantic Treaty and of the original Senate debate in 1949 pertinent to enlargement and the procedures that have been followed for each subsequent enlargement proposal. It also discusses what the Senate did with respect to the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the implications of that event for Germany's membership in NATO.
Date: January 16, 2009
Creator: Garcia, Michael J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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NATO Enlargement: Senate Advice and Consent

Description: This report describes the provisions of the North Atlantic Treaty and of the original Senate debate in 1949 pertinent to enlargement and the procedures that have been followed for each subsequent enlargement proposal. It also discusses what the Senate did with respect to the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the implications of that event for Germany's membership in NATO.
Date: January 16, 2009
Creator: Garcia, Michael J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Official Mail Costs

Description: The congressional franking privilege allows Members of Congress to send official mail via the U.S. Postal Service at government expense. This report provides information and analysis on the costs of franked mail in the House of Representatives and Senate.
Date: August 16, 2010
Creator: Glassman, Matthew Eric
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Committee Funding: Process and Analysis of Disbursements

Description: This report provides an overview of the committee funding process in the House; it analyzes funding levels since 1995, reviews House floor and committee action on committee funding in the 112th Congress, summarizes the rules and regulations that structure the use of committee funds, and analyzes actual committee funding spending patterns during five previous years.
Date: October 16, 2012
Creator: Glassman, Matthew Eric
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Senate Committee Hearings: Preparation

Description: Committee hearings allow Senators an opportunity to gather information on—and draw attention to—legislation and issues within a committee’s purview, conduct oversight of programs or agencies, and investigate allegations of wrongdoing. This checklist identifies, primarily for staff, many of the tasks that need to be performed by a full committee and, in most cases, subcommittees in advance of a hearing. Some of the tasks are required by Senate or committee rules; others are common committee prac… more
Date: March 16, 2015
Creator: Heitshusen, Valerie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Senate Committee Hearings: Witness Testimony

Description: This report discusses rules regarding witness testimony before Senate committees. It includes brief descriptions of rules for oral testimony, questioning of witnesses, and hearing transcription.
Date: March 16, 2015
Creator: Heitshusen, Valerie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Oversight of Intelligence: Current Structure and Alternatives

Description: This report first describes the current select committees on intelligence and then the former Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, often cited as a model for a counterpart on intelligence. The study also sets forth proposed characteristics for a joint committee on intelligence, differences among these, and their pros and cons. The report examines other actions and alternatives affecting congressional oversight in the field.
Date: September 16, 2008
Creator: Kaiser, Frederick M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Independent Evaluators of Federal Programs: Approaches, Devices, and Examples

Description: Congress and the executive, as well as outside organizations, have long been attentive to the evaluation of federal programs, with frequent interest paid to the independent status of the evaluator. This interest continues into the current era, with numerous illustrations of the multifaceted approaches adopted and proposed. This report focuses on examples of independent evaluators (IEs): when an evaluation is to be conducted by an entity outside the immediate organization that is responsible for… more
Date: August 16, 2010
Creator: Kaiser, Frederick M. & Brass, Clinton T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pakistan-U.S. Relations: A Summary

Description: This report summarizes important recent developments in Pakistan and in Pakistan-U.S. relations. These include high-profile political assassinations earlier in 2011, the Raymond Davis affair involving a CIA operative accused of murder in the city of Lahore, and the May killing of Osama bin Laden in the military cantonment city of Abbottabad, among others. Obama Administration engagement with Pakistan has been seriously disrupted by recent events. A brief analysis of the current state of Pakista… more
Date: May 16, 2011
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pakistan-U.S. Relations: A Summary

Description: This report summarizes important recent developments in Pakistan and in Pakistan-U.S. relations. These include high-profile political assassinations in early 2011; the Raymond Davis affair involving a CIA operative accused of murder in the city of Lahore; and the May killing of Osama bin Laden in the city of Abbottabad, among others. The report also summarizes key issues in the bilateral relationship.
Date: May 16, 2011
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Women in the United States Congress, 1917-2013: Biographical and Committee Assignment Information, and Listings by State and Congress

Description: This report includes biographical information, including the names, committee assignments, dates of service, listings by Congress and state, and (for Representatives) congressional districts of the 297 women who have served in Congress.
Date: December 16, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E. & Brudnick, Ida A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Women in the United States Congress: Historical Overview, Tables, and Discussion

Description: This report includes a discussion of the impact of women in Congress as well as historical information, including the number and percentage of women in Congress over time, means of entry to Congress, comparisons to international and state legislatures, records for tenure, firsts for women in Congress, women in leadership, and African American and Asian Pacific American women in Congress.
Date: December 16, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E.; Shogan, Colleen J. & Brudnick, Ida A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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