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Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment

Description: This report is divided into two parts. The first gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the Flag Protection Act in 1968 through current consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme Court, Texas v. Johnson and United States v. Eichman, that struck down the state and federal flag protection statutes as applied in the context punishing expressive conduct.
Date: September 1, 2004
Creator: Luckey, John R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Superfund Reauthorization: A Summary of H.R. 1300, as Reported

Description: The Superfund reauthorization bill, H.R. 1300, was ordered reported by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on August 5, 1999, and now goes to the Commerce Committee, which shares jurisdiction. Title I authorizes programs to assess and clean up brownfields, provides funding for state voluntary cleanup programs, and prohibits federal enforcement at sites cleaned up under state law. Community participation in decision-making is promoted by Title II, and the duties of the Agency f… more
Date: September 1, 1999
Creator: Reisch, Mark E. Anthony & Tiemann, Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Census 2000: Sampling as an Appropriations Issue in the 105th Congress

Description: The 105th Congress has debated the decennial census sampling issue mainly in the appropriations process, beginning with FY1997 supplemental appropriations legislation for disaster relief. In FY1998 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies (CJS), the Senate (S. 1022) instructed the Bureau of the Census not to make “irreversible” Census 2000 sampling plans, while the House (H.R. 2267) sought a moratorium on these plans, pending expedited judicial review… more
Date: September 1, 1998
Creator: Williams, Jennifer D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Earned Income Tax Credit: Current Issues and Benefit Amounts

Description: The earned income tax credit (EITC), established in the tax code in 1975, offers cash aid to working parents with relatively low incomes who care for dependent children. The EITC is the only federal cash aid available to all working poor families with children. For eligible filers with income tax liability, the EITC reduces their taxes.
Date: September 1, 2000
Creator: Gish, Melinda
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Wetland Issues

Description: Wetlands, in a wide variety of forms, are found throughout the country. The various values of these areas have been increasingly recognized in recent years, but the remaining acreage has been disappearing rapidly. When European settlers first arrived, total wetland acreage was more than 220 million acres in the lower 48 states, according to estimates by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. By 1980, total wetland acreage was estimated to be 104 million acres. Losses continue, although the rate of… more
Date: September 1, 2000
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A. & Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Fast Track" Congressional Consideration of Recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission

Description: The recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission will automatically take effect unless, within a stated period after the recommendations are submitted to the House and Senate, Congress adopts a joint resolution of disapproval rejecting them in their entirety. Congressional consideration of this disapproval resolution is not governed by the regular rules of the House and Senate, but by special expedited or “fast track” procedures laid out in statute. This report des… more
Date: September 1, 2005
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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An Emergency Communications Safety Net: Integrating 911 and Other Services

Description: The 9/11 Commission Report recommended that 911 call centers — also called Public Safety Answering Points, or PSAPs — be included in planning for emergency responses.1 Congress, which has since 1999 passed two bills to further the deployment of 911, is reviewing ways to expand 911 capabilities and make it more accessible and effective. Congress is also evaluating ways to improve emergency alerts2 and interoperable communications for public safety.3 Operational convergence of emergency communica… more
Date: September 1, 2005
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Supplemental Appropriations for the 2004 Hurricanes and Other Disasters

Description: After a series of devastating hurricanes struck Florida and other states in the summer of 2004, the 108th Congress passed two emergency supplemental appropriations statutes that provided an estimated $16.475 billion to areas stricken by the hurricanes and other natural disasters. The House and Senate quickly approved legislation (H.R. 5005) the day after President Bush submitted a request on September 6, 2004, for $2 billion in FY2004 funding, largely in response to the devastation caused by Hu… more
Date: September 1, 2005
Creator: Bea, Keith & Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proper Scope of Questioning of Supreme Court Nominees: The Current Debate

Description: This report analyzes the process through which Congress questions nominees for the Supreme Court. In particular, it centers around John G. Roberts's nomination and includes sections on his views on questioning, as well as the debates on the subject leading up to his confirmation hearings.
Date: September 1, 2005
Creator: Rutkus, Denis Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Catastrophic Health Insurance: Medicare

Description: Catastrophic medical costs are broadly defined as large unpredictable health care expenses; these are usually associated with a major illness or serious injury. The absence of catastrophic health insurance protection for the elderly is the subject of concern in this report.
Date: September 1, 1987
Creator: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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