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EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?

Description: This report provides background information on EPA regulatory activity during the Obama Administration. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA from January 2009 to late 2016, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of rules not yet promulgated (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA's estimates of costs and benefits, where avai… more
Date: December 30, 2016
Creator: McCarthy, James E. & Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Legislative Options in the 114th Congress for Financing Water Infrastructure

Description: This report addresses several options considered by Congress to address the financing needs of local communities for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects and to decrease or close the gap between available funds and projected needs.
Date: December 30, 2016
Creator: Copeland, Claudia; Maguire, Steven & Mallett, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The "Waters of the United States" Rule: Legislative Options and 114th Congress Responses

Description: This report discusses legislative activity in the 114th Congress regarding a major regulatory initiative related to the "waters of the United States" rule. Despite the court's stay of the rule, some in Congress favor halting the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) and the Corps' current approach to defining "waters of the United States."
Date: December 29, 2016
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs

Description: This report provides an overview of the "digital divide," which is a term used to describe a perceived gap between those Americans who use or have access to telecommunications and information technologies and those who do not.
Date: December 28, 2016
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G. & Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Political Status of Puerto Rico: Brief Background and Recent Developments for Congress

Description: This report provides policy and historical background about Puerto Rico's political status--a term of art referring to the relationship between the federal government and a territorial one. The report emphasizes recent developments that are likely to be most relevant for Congress. Congress has not altered the island's status since 1952, when it approved a territorial constitution.
Date: December 28, 2016
Creator: Garrett, R. Sam
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Expedited Procedures Governing Senate Consideration of Legislation Waiving a Restriction Related to the Military Service of the Secretary of Defense

Description: This report discusses the Section 179 of the Further Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 114-254), which establishes expedited or "fast track" parliamentary procedures governing Senate consideration of legislation that would waive a legal restriction related to the prior military service of the Secretary of Defense.
Date: December 27, 2016
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer

Description: This report discusses section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA), the specific requirements of which must be met in order for the United States to engage in civilian nuclear cooperation with other states. The AEA also provides for exemptions to these requirements, export control licensing procedures, and criteria for terminating cooperation.
Date: December 27, 2016
Creator: Kerr, Paul K. & Nikitin, Mary Beth D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel

Description: This report provides an overview of U.S. foreign assistance to Israel. It includes a review of past aid programs, data on annual assistance, and an analysis of current issues.
Date: December 22, 2016
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Trade and Finance: Overview and Issues for the 115th Congress

Description: This report provides a brief overview of some of the trade and finance issues that may be of interest or continuing attention of the 115th Congress. During its 114th session, Congress faced numerous international trade and finance policy issues.
Date: December 21, 2016
Creator: Irace, Mary A. & Nelson, Rebecca M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies

Description: This report discusses Iran's national security policy. Some experts forecast that Iran's foreign and defense policies might shift after international sanctions were eased in January 2016 in accordance with the July 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA).
Date: December 21, 2016
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. International Corporate Taxation: Basic Concepts and Policy Issues

Description: This report provides a general introduction to the basic concepts and issues relevant to the U.S. international corporate tax system. The explanations provided in this report emphasize the underlying concepts of the international tax system and are intended to be as simplified as possible.
Date: December 21, 2016
Creator: Keightley, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: This report discusses concerns about food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
Date: December 16, 2016
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Policy on Cuban Migrants: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the U.S. policy on Cuban migration that has been shaped by a 1966 law known as the Cuban Adjustment Act, as amended, and U.S.-Cuban migration agreements signed in the mid-1990s, operating in conjunction with the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Date: December 16, 2016
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): In Brief

Description: This report provides a basic description of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which mandates that U.S. transportation fuel must contain a minimum volume of biofuel, and is a federal statutory requirement. The mandated minimum volume increases annually and can be met using both conventional biofuel (e.g., cornstarch ethanol) and advanced biofuels. This report also includes some of the widely-discussed issues.
Date: December 14, 2016
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Women in Combat: Issues for Congress

Description: This report looks at the history of women in US military roles and combat since the 1990s and discusses critics' views of exclusionary policy as a civil rights issue. Over the past two decades of conflict, women have served with valor and continue to serve on combat aircraft, naval vessels, and in support of ground combat operations. The expansion of roles for women in the armed forces has evolved since the early days of the military when women were restricted by law and policy from serving in … more
Date: December 13, 2016
Creator: Kamarck, Kristy N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Public Assistance: Policy Overview

Description: This report discusses the extent to which residents of the United States who are not U.S. citizens should be eligible for federally-funded public aid. This issue meets at the intersection of two major policy areas: immigration policy and welfare policy. This report deals with the four major federal means-tested benefit programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TAN… more
Date: December 12, 2016
Creator: Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Smith v. Obama": A Servicemember's Legal Challenge to the Campaign Against the Islamic State

Description: This report discuses the case of "Smith v. Obama" where a military officer sued President Obama for overstepping his bounds as President by waging war on the Islamic State without a Congressional declaration of war. The case was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction by the court.
Date: December 12, 2016
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Creating a Federal Advisory Committee in the Executive Branch

Description: This report report provides a brief overview on how Congress can establish federal advisory committees, and provides some considerations as to why a federal advisory committee may or may not be an appropriate mechanism to assist a particular policy or funding question. The report also explores why Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) may or may not be appropriate for application to particular advisory committees. It presents data on the number of active FACA committees established by Congress … more
Date: December 9, 2016
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy & Burgat, Casey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Budget Deficit and the Business Cycle

Description: This report discusses the annual federal budget deficit, which has fallen significantly over the course of the current economic expansion, from a high of 9.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) in FY2009 to 3.2% of GDP in FY2016
Date: December 9, 2016
Creator: Driessen, Grant A. & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Fiscal Space" and the Federal Budget

Description: This report discusses plans for the federal budget and the concept of "fiscal space," or the amount of room available for additional government borrowing.
Date: December 9, 2016
Creator: Driessen, Grant A. & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Nosal" Parts 1 & 2: Password Sharing May Be a Federal Crime & Circuit Split on Restitution for Attorney's Fees

Description: This report discusses the case of "Nosal v. United States" and charges against Nosal for fraud, stealing trade secrets, and access without authorization charges under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The charges under the CFAA are discussed in-depth along with implications for consensual password sharing being covered under the act. Restitution of attorneys fees in the case by Nosal are also discussed.
Date: December 9, 2016
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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