Congressional Research Service Reports - 24 Matching Results

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Obscenity and Indecency: Constitutional Principles and Federal Statutes

Description: his report examines federal law regarding obscenity and indecency. The First Amendment provides: “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” In general, the First Amendment protects pornography, with this term being used to mean any erotic material. The Supreme Court, however, has held that the First Amendment does not protect two types of pornography: obscenity and child pornography. Consequently, they may be banned on the basis of their content, and fede… more
Date: January 21, 2009
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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CONTOMS (Counter Narcotics and Terrorism Operational Medical Support Program)

Description: Since the September 11th terrorist attack, greater attention has focused on federal, state, and local readiness to respond to situations involving terrorism or weapons of mass destruction (WMD). One such federal program that provided federal support to local law enforcement and first responders is CONTOMS (Counter Narcotics and Terrorism Operational Medical Support).
Date: December 21, 2001
Creator: Gerleman, David J. & Hildreth, Steven A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Burma and Transnational Crime

Description: This report analyzes the primary actors driving transnational crime in Burma, the forms of transnational crime occurring, and current U.S. policy in combating these crimes.
Date: August 21, 2008
Creator: Wyler, Liana Sun
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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United States Sentencing Guidelines and the Supreme Court: Booker, Fanfan, Blakely Apprendi, and Mistretta

Description: For fifteen years, sentencing in federal court had been governed by the United States Sentencing Guidelines. During that time, the Supreme Court has upheld the Guidelines in the face of various challenges. In the meantime, however, it had decided a series of cases which called into question past assumptions relating to the role of the jury in the sentencing process. In Apprendi, the Court held that any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the statutory maximum assigned for that th… more
Date: March 21, 2005
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Gun Trafficking and the Southwest Border

Description: This report includes legal analyses of three ATF-investigated, Southwest border gun trafficking cases to illustrate the federal statutes that are typically violated as part of wider gun trafficking schemes. The report also examines anti-gun trafficking proposals introduced in the 110th Congress.
Date: September 21, 2009
Creator: Chu, Vivian S. & Krouse, William J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Drug Control: International Policy and Options

Description: Over the past decade, worldwide production of illicit drugs has risen dramatically: opium and marijuana production has roughly doubled and coca production tripled. Street prices of cocaine and heroin have fallen significantly in the past 20 years, reflecting increased availability. Despite apparent national political resolve to deal with the drug problem, inherent contradictions regularly appear between U.S. anti-drug policy and other national policy goals and concerns. The mix of competing dom… more
Date: June 21, 2002
Creator: Lee, Rensselaer & Perl, Raphael F.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Critical Infrastructure: Control Systems and the Terrorist Threat

Description: This report addresses the cyber-vulnerability of critical infrastructure industries which regularly use industrial control systems. Industrial control systems may be vulnerable to infiltration by different routes, including wireless transmission, direct access to control system computers, exploitation of dial-up modems used for maintenance, or through the Internet. This report will specifically discuss the potential for access to industrial control systems through the Internet.
Date: February 21, 2003
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Islamist Militancy in the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Region and U.S. Policy

Description: Increasing militant activity in western Pakistan poses three key national security threats: an increased potential for major attacks against the United States itself; a growing threat to Pakistani stability; and a hindrance of U.S. efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. This report addresses this issue at length. It also describes the recent upsurge of militant activity on the Pakistani side of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, as well as the general political climates of Pakistan and Afghanistan and… more
Date: November 21, 2008
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan & Katzman, Kenneth
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Department of Homeland Security Assistance to States and Localities: A Summary and Issues for the 111th Congress

Description: This report summarizes several emergency management and homeland security programs, and identifies and analyzes potential issues for the 111th Congress. These issues include the purpose and number of assistance programs; the evaluation of the use of grant funding; the determination of eligible grant recipients; the programs' funding amounts; and the programs; funding distribution methodologies.
Date: April 21, 2009
Creator: Reese, Shawn
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: An Overview of the Statutory Framework and Recent Judicial Decisions

Description: This report will examine the detailed statutory structure provided by FISA and related provisions of E.O. 12333. In addition, it will discuss the decisions of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review
Date: April 21, 2005
Creator: Bazan, Elizabeth B.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Drug Trade and U.S. Foreign Policy

Description: This report details the U.S. international narcotics policies and how these policies may affect foreign policy interests. It also discusses major foreign policy initiatives with Latin American and Middle Eastern countries, as well as the Bush Administration's anti-drug strategy.
Date: July 21, 2006
Creator: Perl, Raphael F.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Cleanup and Environmental Programs: Authorization and Appropriations for FY2001

Description: The Department of Defense operates six environmental programs: cleanup of past contamination at military facilities, acceleration of cleanup at military bases designated for closure, compliance with environmental laws and regulations that apply to ongoing military operations, pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, and environmental technology. In addition to these activities, the Department of Energy is responsible for managing defense nuclear waste and remediating contaminated si… more
Date: August 21, 2000
Creator: Bearden, David M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.N. Convention Against Torture: Overview of U.S. Implementation Policy Concerning the Removal of Aliens

Description: This report discusses the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which requires signatory parties to take measures to end torture within their territorial jurisdictions.
Date: January 21, 2009
Creator: Garcia, Michael J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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