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Clearing the Air on the Debt Limit

Description: This report provides clarifications on five common debt limit contentions or questions which are: The United States had debt limits before 1917, Did the Federal government default in the 1970s?, Were "clean" debt limit increases once the norm?, Could a platinum coin avoid a binding debt limit?, Would the Fourteenth Amendment allow the President to act unilaterally?, and Is the debt limit obsolete?
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Minority Business Development Agency: An Overview of Its History and Current Issues

Description: This report discusses the Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) which is the lead federal agency dedicated to supporting the development and expansion of the minority business community. Currently, the MBDA provides a number of services principally through a network of business centers located in areas with the largest concentration of minority populations and the largest number of minority businesses. The Trump Administration's budget request for FY2018 proposes … more
Date: November 9, 2017
Creator: Boyd, Eugene
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Out of Office: Vacancies, Acting Officers, and Day 301

Description: This report discusses the provisions of the Vacancies Act and the upcoming expiration of the time limit for temporary staff to to perform the duties of advice and consent staff positions that are still unfilled. Legal effects of letting the Vacancies Act take effect are also discussed.
Date: November 1, 2017
Creator: Brannon, Valerie C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Who's the Boss at the CFPB?

Description: This report discusses an ongoing dispute over who the new acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is following the resignation of the past director on Nov. 24., 2017. President Trump appointed Mick Mulvaney as the acting director, but the past director had already appointed Leandra English who has filed a lawsuit and asked for a temporary restraining order preventing Mulvaney from performing the duties of director. This report outlines the merits of the case and the … more
Date: November 28, 2017
Creator: Brannon, Valerie C. & Cole, Jared P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Funding Gaps and Government Shutdowns: CRS Experts

Description: This report provides the names of CRS staff who specialize in each departmental area that is funded by annual appropriations and thus most affected by government shutdowns.
Date: November 28, 2017
Creator: Brass, Clinton T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects

Description: This report is intended to address questions that arise frequently related to the topic of government shutdowns. It discusses the causes of funding gaps and shutdowns of the federal government, processes that are associated with shutdowns, and how agency operations may be affected by shutdowns. The report concludes with a discussion of potential issues for Congress.
Date: November 30, 2017
Creator: Brass, Clinton T.; Brudnick, Ida A.; Keegan, Natalie; McMillion, Barry J.; Rollins, John W. & Yeh, Brian T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Natural Disasters of 2017: Congressional Considerations Related to FEMA Assistance

Description: This report provides a short overview of issues Congress may consider in its oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) federal assistance during the 2017 hurricane season (e.g., Harvey, Irma, and Maria) and other disasters (e.g., fires in California).
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Brown, Jared T.; Horn, Diane P.; Painter, William L. & Reese, Shawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy

Description: This report discusses the refugee admissions process and refugee number caps for the 2018 fiscal year. For FY2018, the worldwide refugee ceiling is 45,000. The FY2018 regional allocations are, as follows: Africa (19,000), East Asia (5,000), Europe and Central Asia (2,000), Latin America/Caribbean (1,500), and Near East/South Asia (17,500). Refugee admissions in FY2017 totaled 53,716.
Date: November 7, 2017
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Trump Administration and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions

Description: This report provides an overview of the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, discusses the additional significance of the Unified Agenda in the Trump Administration, provides summary information about content of the 2017 Update, and discusses what additional information can be expected in the subsequent edition of the Agenda.
Date: November 29, 2017
Creator: Carey, Maeve P. & Francis, Kathryn A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Flood-Risk Reduction and Resilience: Federal Assistance and Programs

Description: This report provides an overview of flood assistance programs and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) related mitigation incentives; it also raises flood-related policy considerations associated with federal programs and practices.
Date: November 13, 2017
Creator: Carter, Nicole T.; Horne, Diane P.; Brown, Jared T.; Boyd, Eugene; Stubbs, Megan; Ramseur, Jonathan L. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Comprehensive Energy Planning for Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

Description: This report discusses the electric power grid of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands which were mainly destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria with Puerto Rico being the hardest hit power grid. The report mainly concerns previous and current efforts to create long-term comprehensive energy plans for insular areas such as Puerto Rico and some of the challenges encountered in doing so.
Date: November 6, 2017
Creator: Clark, Corrie E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Reform: The Child Credit and the Child Care Credit

Description: This report discusses the child credit and the child care credit and what changes are being made to them in the new tax reform plan currently being debated. This report provides background to help assess who would be assisted by potential changes to either credit. It shows what types of families with children receive both credits and how the credits are distributed across the income distribution.
Date: November 13, 2017
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L. & Falk, Gene
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Native American Heritage Month: Fact Sheet

Description: This report discusses Native American heritage month and its observance in November. This guide assists congressional offices with work related to Native American Heritage Month celebrations. It provides links to sample congressional speeches and recognitions, presidential proclamations, statistical data, cultural resources, and selected federal agencies and programs that focus on Native American issues. This guide also includes links to selected educational and advocacy organizations.
Date: November 1, 2017
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FDA Human Medical Product User Fee Programs: In Brief

Description: This report discusses FDA human medical product user fees for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilars which are charged to companies producing the products and make up a large portion of the FDA's revenues. User fees are authorized in legislation on a five-year cycle, with authority for their actual collection and expenditure provided each year through the annual appropriations process. Appendix A outlines various features of the user fee programs.
Date: November 21, 2017
Creator: Dabrowska, Agata; Johnson, Judith A.; Sarata, Amanda K. & Thaul, Susan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Resolutions of Inquiry: An Analysis of Their Use in the House, 1947-2017

Description: This report discusses resolutions of inquiry in the House of Representatives which allow the House to demand the President or an executive department head to furnish the House with specific factual information in the Administration's possession. Under the rules and precedents of the House of Representatives, such resolutions, if properly drafted, are given a privileged parliamentary status. Between 1947 and October 20, 2017, 313 resolutions of inquiry were submitted in the House of Representat… more
Date: November 9, 2017
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fibbing to Get a Lawyer: Circuits Split on Punishment

Description: This report discusses differing views held by U.S. appellate courts regarding whether lying about one's assets to pre-trial service personnel in order to get a court-appointed lawyer can be used as a justification to increase the sentence of the offender.
Date: November 27, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Killing Endangered Species: What's Reasonable Self-Defense?

Description: This report discusses the case of "United States v. Wallen" in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; it concerns a man who killed a grizzly bear cub in violation of the Endangered Species Act and claimed self-defense. It outlines the court ruling that the man enjoys a complete defense if he "actually, even if unreasonably, believe[s] his actions were necessary to protect himself or others" and discusses the implications of the decision.
Date: November 29, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Money Laundering: An Overview of 18 U.S.C. §1956 and Related Federal Criminal Law

Description: This report provides an overview of the elements of federal criminal money laundering statutes and the sanctions imposed for their violation. It includes an extensive overview and analysis of elements as well as legal attributes and consequences of violating various federal criminal statues related to money laundering, most specifically 18 U.S.C. § 1956, 1957, and 1952. The end of the report provides text of the statutes discussed, citations of state money laundering and money transmission sta… more
Date: November 30, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Statute of Limitation in Federal Criminal Cases: An Overview

Description: This report describes the rules governing statutes of limitation for federal crimes and provides a list of federal statutes of limitation in criminal cases with a rough chart of comparable state provisions.
Date: November 14, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Deficits and Debt: Economic Effects and Other Issues

Description: This report explores distinctions in the concept and composition of deficits and debt and explains how those two measures interact with each other and the general economy.
Date: November 21, 2017
Creator: Driessen, Grant A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Role in Voter Registration: The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and Subsequent Developments

Description: This report first provides a brief background on the federal role in voter registration and the passage of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), followed by a discussion of the key components of NVRA. The implementation of NVRA, subsequent modifications to its provisions, and ongoing considerations related to federal voter registration are also discussed. The final sections of this report provide descriptions of types of common legislative proposals addressing voter registration, … more
Date: November 28, 2017
Creator: Eckman, Sarah J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the 115th Congress

Description: This report considers prominent topics in the 115th Congress's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization debate. Major issues discussed are financing, air traffic control privatization, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), the Essential Airline Service (EAS), foreign airlines, and certification reform.
Date: November 30, 2017
Creator: Elias, Bart & Tang, Rachel Y.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Telehealth Services Proposed for Medicare Part B Reimbursements, 2018: Fact Sheet

Description: This report discusses telehealth services covered under Medicare and describes the five conditions that a telehealth service must meet to be covered and paid for under Medicare Part B, provides an overview of how the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adds telehealth services to Medicare's reimbursable list, and includes a table listing the proposed telehealth services to be added to the CY2018 list for Medicare reimbursement.
Date: November 15, 2017
Creator: Elliott, Victoria L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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