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Presidential Signing Statements: Constitutional and Institutional Implications

Description: Presidential signing statements are official pronouncements issued by the President contemporaneously to the signing of a bill into law that, in addition to commenting on the law generally, have been used to forward the President's interpretation of the statutory language; to assert constitutional objections to the provisions contained therein; and, concordantly, to announce that the provisions of the law will be administered in a manner that comports with the administration's conception of the… more
Date: January 4, 2012
Creator: Garvey, Todd
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Recess Appointments: A Legal Overview

Description: This report provides an overview of the Recess Appointments Clause, exploring its historical application and legal interpretation by the executive branch, the courts, and the Comptroller General. Furthermore, congressional legislation designed to prevent the President's overuse or misuse of the Clause is also explored.
Date: January 6, 2012
Creator: Chu, Vivian S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Contemporary Developments in Presidential Elections

Description: This report considers contemporary developments in presidential elections. It emphasizes three topics chosen for their recurring importance and notable recent developments: (1) nominating procedures; (2) campaign finance; and (3) the electoral college. The report highlights significant developments in these areas, particularly for the 2008 and 2012 elections. It also provides background information about the presidential election process in general.
Date: January 9, 2012
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.; Garrett, R. Sam & Neale, Thomas H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Recess Appointments: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report supplies brief answers to some frequently asked questions regarding recess appointments. These are appointments to high-level policy-making positions in federal departments which are generally confirmed by the Senate. When the Senate is in recess, the President may make a temporary appointment, called a recess appointment, to any such position without Senate approval.
Date: January 9, 2012
Creator: Hogue, Henry B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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President Obama’s January 4, 2012, Recess Appointments: Legal Issues

Description: This report analyzes the legal issues associated with the President's asserted exercise of his Recess Appointments Clause power on January 4, 2012. The report begins with a general legal overview of the Recess Appointment Clause. This is followed by an analysis of two legal principles, standing and the political question doctrine, which may impede a reviewing court from reaching the merits of a potential legal challenge to the appointments.
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Carpenter, David H.; Chu, Vivian S.; Dolan, Alissa M. & Garvey, Todd
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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War Powers Resolution: Presidential Compliance

Description: This report discusses two separate but closely-related issues regarding the introduction of U.S. armed forces abroad that conceivably could lead to their involvement in hostilities. One issue concerns the division of war powers between the President and Congress, whether the use of armed forces falls within the purview of the congressional power to declare war and the War Powers Resolution. The other issue is whether or not Congress concurs in the wisdom of the action. A longer-term issue is wh… more
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Grimmett, Richard F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This list of about 150 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: March 21, 2012
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This list of about 150 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: March 21, 2012
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Travel: Policy and Costs

Description: This report discusses the issues regarding the President, Vice President, and First Lady travels, official and political, or unofficial. Whether a trip is for official or political purposes, the Air Force pays all operational and other costs incurred by the use of the aircraft.
Date: May 17, 2012
Creator: Halchin, L. E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This list of about 200 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: July 12, 2012
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Gifts to the President of the United States

Description: Report that addresses provisions of federal law and regulation restricting the acceptance of personal gifts by the President of the United States.
Date: August 16, 2012
Creator: Maskell, Jack
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2012-2013 Presidential Election Period: National Security Considerations and Options

Description: This report discusses historical national security-related presidential transition activities, provides a representative sampling of national security issues a new Administration may encounter, and offers considerations and options relevant to each of the five phases of the presidential election period. Each phase has distinct challenges and opportunities for the incoming Administration, the outgoing Administration, and Congress. This report is intended to provide a framework for national secur… more
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Rollins, John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Appointments, the Senate's Confirmation Process, and Changes Made in the 112th Congress

Description: This report provides information on presidential appointments in the executive and judicial branch including a brief background on advice and consent issues, an overview of the appointment process in both the executive and legislative branches, and a brief discussion of recent concerns about the system. Also, the report explores the events in the 112th Congress leading up to the introduction and passage of two measures purported to make the appointment process easier and quicker, and it conclu… more
Date: October 9, 2012
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections

Description: This report provides information about the electoral college, its origins, who makes up the college today, the 2012 presidental election, and calls for the reform of the electoral college.
Date: October 22, 2012
Creator: Neale, Thomas H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Presidential Appointee Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation and Committees Handling Nominations

Description: Report that identifies, by Senate committee, presidentially appointed positions requiring Senate confirmation based on referrals as of the date of passage of S. 679, which became P.L. 112-166 on August 10, 2012. It begins with a brief description of the referral process and identify, for each committee to which referrals have been made, the positions that fall within the committee's jurisdiction.
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Davis, Christopher M. & Mansfield, Jerry W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Counting Electoral Votes: An Overview of Procedures at the Joint Session, Including Objections by Members of Congress

Description: Report that describes the steps which precede the joint session and the procedures set in the Constitution and statute by which the House and Senate jointly certify the results of the electoral vote. It also discusses the procedures set in law governing challenges to the validity of an electoral vote, and makes reference to the procedures followed during the joint session in 2005 by which the election of George W. Bush was certified.
Date: November 30, 2012
Creator: Maskell, Jack & Rybicki, Elizabeth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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