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Adult Education and Literacy: Current Programs and Legislative Proposals in the 105th Congress

Description: This report summarizes current programs for adult education and literacy, provides a funding history, and analyzes major provisions of the legislative proposals being considered by the 105th Congress for amending adult education and literacy programs. Specifically, the report examines the provisions of H.R. 1385, the Employment, Training, and Literacy Enhancement Act of 1997, as passed by the House, and H.R. 1385, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1998, as amended by the Senate (origi… more
Date: June 17, 1998
Creator: Irwin, Paul M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Online Privacy Protection: Issues and Developments

Description: It is routinely acknowledged that the success of the Internet and electronic commerce depends upon the resolution of issues related to the privacy of online personal information. This paper discusses some potential threats to the privacy of online personal information, and efforts by businesses, governments, and citizens to respond to them. The paper also provides an overview of the legal framework for the protection of personal information. Individuals and businesses increasingly rely upon com… more
Date: September 28, 1999
Creator: Stevens, Gina Marie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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National Tests: Administration Initiative

Description: The Clinton Administration is encouraging states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to administer new national tests to 4th-grade pupils in reading and 8th-grade pupils in mathematics each year beginning in 2000. Participation in the tests would be voluntary and would not affect a state or LEA’s eligibility for federal aid programs. These tests would be based on existing assessments that were developed with federal financial support. The federal government would oversee the development of th… more
Date: June 16, 1998
Creator: Riddle, Wayne C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Appropriations for FY1998: Interior and Related Agencies

Description: The annual Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations bill includes funding for agencies and programs in four separate federal departments, as well as numerous smaller agencies and diverse programs. This report discusses the FY1998 appropriations authorized under this bill.
Date: December 24, 1997
Creator: Greenwood, Alfred R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Food Safety Agencies and Authorities: A Primer

Description: Several federal agencies, in cooperation with state governments, are responsible for regulating the safety of the U.S. food supply. In the wake of an outbreak of foodborne illness and the largest recall of suspected contaminated meat in U.S. history in August 1997, several policymakers have reopened the debate on creating a single, independent, federal food safety agency. They assert that this would provide more effective regulatory control over the entire farm-to-table food production and mark… more
Date: February 5, 1998
Creator: Rawson, Jean M. & Vogt, Donna U.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraq: International Support for U.S. Policy

Description: Although there is a worldwide consensus that Iraq must comply with all applicable U.N. resolutions, international attitudes differ sharply on how to compel Iraq to comply with the U.N. program of eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. Some countries support U.S. threats to use force against Iraq as a necessary step to ensure that Iraq does not reconstitute banned weapons programs. Other countries believe that force would kill Iraqi civilians already chafing under seven years o… more
Date: February 19, 1998
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: The "H-2A" Temporary Agricultural Worker Program

Description: In recent years, there have been various legislative efforts to modify or supplement the existing H-2A temporary agricultural program authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Concern has centered on making the program easier for growers to use while still maintaining protections for domestic labor. Growers have made limited use of the program in the past and a few years ago program usage was in decline. Current trends, however, show an increase due in part to increased demand fr… more
Date: April 9, 1998
Creator: Vialet, Joyce
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Adjustment to Permanent Residence Status under Section 245(i)

Description: Under § 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, an alien in the U.S. who, on the basis of family relationship or job skills, becomes eligible for permanent resident status may adjust to that status in the United States without having to go abroad to obtain an immigrant visa. Historically, only those aliens who were here legally (e.g., as a student or a temporary skilled worker) could adjust status under § 245. In 1994, however, Congress enacted § 245(i). That provision, which was set to exp… more
Date: February 4, 1998
Creator: Eig, Larry M. & Krouse, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Visa Entry/Exit Control System

Description: Section 110 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA; Division C of P.L. 104-208) mandates the development of an automated entry/exit control system to create a record for every alien departing from the United States and match it with the record for the alien arriving at the United States. Section 110 also requires that this system identify nonimmigrants who overstay the terms of their admission through online computer searching and that this the system… more
Date: August 26, 1998
Creator: Krouse, William J. & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Patent Reform: Overview and Comparison of S. 507 and H.R. 400

Description: The pending omnibus patent reform bills (S. 507 and H.R. 400) would reorganize the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) as a government corporation and enact several other patent law reforms including early publication (with exceptions) and patent term restoration. S. 507 consists of six titles; H.R. 400 contains five titles.
Date: August 4, 1998
Creator: Schrader, Dorothy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.N Funding, Payment of Arrears and Linkage to Reform: Legislation in the 105th Congress

Description: The conference report on H.R. 1757, the Foreign Relations Authorization bill for FY1998-FY1999, will be debated in the Senate beginning April 24 with a vote expected April 28, 1998. On March 26, the House adopted the conference report (H.Rept. 105-432) on H.R. 1757; the bill authorizes a total of $926 million for payment of arrears to international organizations in exchange for U.N. and U.N. agency reforms. The House version of the bill did not address payment of the U.S. arrears or U.N. reform… more
Date: April 24, 1998
Creator: Bite, Vita; Browne, Marjorie Ann & McHugh, Lois B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Human Embryo Research

Description: The FY1998 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act, P.L. 105-78, enacted on November 13, 1997, prohibits the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from funding human embryo research in the fiscal year 1998. This ban applies to all federally supported investigations involving the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes, and studies in which a human embryo is destroyed, discarded, or knowingly exposed to the risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuse… more
Date: January 29, 1998
Creator: Stith-Coleman, Irene
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Russia's Religion Law: Assessments and Implications

Description: This short report provides an overview and assessment of Russian religion law. On September 26, 1997, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the religion bill into law, and implementing regulations were promulgated in early 1998. The Administration and Congress have raised concerns that the law may restrict religion and have urged Russia to uphold its international commitments to religious freedom. The FY1998 Foreign Aid Appropriations Act (P.L. 105-118) prohibits the Freedom Support Act aid to… more
Date: May 29, 1998
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: Brief Facts and Statistics

Description: This document provides facts and statistics about Social Security that are frequently requested by Members of Congress and their staffs. Its purpose is to provide quick answers to basic questions about the program. It should not be treated as a guide to Social Security. The reader is advised to consult other publications for explanations of how eligibility and benefits are determined and how the program is financed. Among them are two pamphlets published by the Social Security Administration (S… more
Date: May 1, 1998
Creator: Koitz, David Stuart
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Taxes: Where Do Surplus Taxes Go and How Are They Used?

Description: The costs of the Social Security program, both its benefits and administrative expenses, are financed by a tax on wages and self-employment income. Commonly referred to as FICA and SECA taxes (because they are levied under the Federal Insurance and Self-Employment Contributions Acts), these taxes flow each day into thousands of depository accounts maintained by the government with financial institutions across the country. Along with many other forms of revenues, these Social Security taxes bec… more
Date: April 29, 1998
Creator: Koitz, David Stuart
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security and the Federal Budget: What Does Social Security's Being "Off Budget" Mean?

Description: As a result of a series of laws enacted in 1983, 1985 and 1990, Social Security is considered to be “off-budget” for federal budget purposes. While the meaning of this might seem obvious — that Social Security is not to be considered as part of the federal budget — many people are perplexed by the continued use of aggregate budget figures that include Social Security’s receipts and expenditures.
Date: July 23, 1998
Creator: Koitz, David Stuart
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Asset Distribution of Taxable Estates: An Analysis

Description: This report provides data on the distribution of assets in taxable estates that filed returns in 1998. The report also offers a brief overview of the estate and gift tax and "The Death Tax Elimination Act of 2000," which was passed in the 106th Congress and vetoed. This report finds that farm and business assets represent a small share of the total value of taxable estate tax returns filed in 1998. For an overview of estate tax, see CRS Report RL30600, Estate and Gift Taxes: Economic Issues, by… more
Date: December 7, 2000
Creator: Maguire, Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Radiofrequency Spectrum Management

Description: The radio spectrum, a limited and valuable resource, is used for all forms of wireless communications including cellular telephony, paging, personal communications service, radio, and television broadcast, telephone radio relay, aeronautical and maritime radio navigation, and satellite command and control.
Date: April 23, 1998
Creator: Nunno, Richard M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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V-Chip and TV Ratings: Helping Parents Supervise Their Children's Television Viewing

Description: To assist parents in supervising the television viewing habits of their children, Congress included a provision in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-104) that television sets with screens 13 inches or larger sold in the United States be equipped with a "V-chip" to screen out objectionable programming. A V-chip is a computer chip that can detect program rating information that is transmitted with the television signal (broadcast or cable) and block the display of programs designated a… more
Date: April 14, 1998
Creator: Smith, Marcia S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Multilateral Agreement on Investment: Implications for the United States

Description: Ministers of the 29 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have struggled since 1995 to negotiate a Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). Negotiations on many aspects of a final agreement have progressed rapidly, but OECD members have been unable to resolve numerous thorny issues before the latest deadline set for the OECD Ministerial meeting in April 1998. U.S. negotiators have indicated that they will not sign the present agreement without significan… more
Date: March 18, 1998
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy Attack Submarine Force-Level Goal and Procurement Rate: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: The Navy is currently procuring one Virginia (SSN-774) class attack nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) per year. Each submarine currently costs about $2.4 billion. The FY2006-FY2011 Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) submitted in February 2005 proposes maintaining the one-per-year procurement rate through FY2011 rather than increasing it two per year in FY2009, as previously planned. A 30-year Navy force-level projection submitted in March 2005 shows the SSN force declining from more than 50 boats t… more
Date: May 31, 2005
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Plan Colombia: A Progress Report

Description: Plan Colombia was developed by former President Pastrana (1998-2002) as a six-year plan to end Colombia’s long armed conflict, eliminate drug trafficking, and promote economic and social development. The Andean Counterdrug Initiative (ACI) is the primary U.S. program that supports Plan Colombia. In addition, Colombia receives assistance from the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program and the Department of Defense’s central counternarcotics account. ACI funding for Plan Colombia from FY2000 th… more
Date: June 22, 2005
Creator: Veillette, Connie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Plan Colombia: A Progress Report

Description: Plan Colombia was developed by former President Pastrana (1998-2002) as a six-year plan to end Colombia’s long armed conflict, eliminate drug trafficking, and promote economic and social development. The Andean Counterdrug Initiative (ACI) is the primary U.S. program that supports Plan Colombia. In addition, Colombia receives assistance from the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program and the Department of Defense’s central counternarcotics account. ACI funding for Plan Colombia from FY2000 th… more
Date: May 9, 2005
Creator: Veillette, Connie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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