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Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Description: The issue of Iran and its nuclear program has emerged as a top priority for the Obama Administration. The United States also sees a threat to U.S. interests posed by Iran's support for militant groups in the Middle East and in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tensions have been particularly elevated since Iran's late-December 2011 threat to try to choke off much of the world's oil supplies -a reaction to the imposition of significant sanctions against Iran's vital exports of oil. The heightened tensions f… more
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

Description: Special Operations Forces (SOF) play a significant role in U.S. military operations, and the Administration has given U.S. SOF greater responsibility for planning and conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations. This report covers SOF budgets for FY2013 and what the budgeted money could be used for.
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline: Legal Issues

Description: This report reviews those legal issues. First, it suggests that legislation related to cross-border facility permitting is unlikely to raise significant constitutional questions, despite the fact that such permits have traditionally been handled by the executive branch alone pursuant to its constitutional "foreign affairs" authority. Next, it observes generally that state oversight of pipeline siting decisions does not appear to violate existing federal law or the Constitution. Finally, the rep… more
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Vann, Adam; Alexander, Kristina; Burrows, Vanessa K. & Thomas, Kenneth R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction

Description: Congress annually considers several appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous activities, for example, national defense, education, and homeland security, as well as general government operations. Congress has developed certain rules and practices for the consideration of appropriations measures, referred to as the congressional appropriations process. This report looks at this process as well as the three types of appropriates measures: regular appropriations bills, continuin… more
Date: February 23, 2012
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Discussion of Proposed Revisions

Description: For more than a decade, various experts have expressed concerns about information-system security-often referred to as cybersecurity-in the United States and abroad. This report discusses that framework and proposals to amend more than 30 acts of Congress that are part of or relevant to it.
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Budget Control Act of 2011: The Effects on Spending and the Budget Deficit When the Automatic Spending Cuts Are Implemented

Description: This report discusses the two main groups of spending reductions in the Budget Control Act of 2011: (1) discretionary spending caps and (2) an automatic $1.2 trillion spending reduction process that comes into effect on January 02, 2012. It also looks at projected effects of the Act.
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Levit, Mindy R. & Labonte, Marc
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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WTO Dispute Settlement: Status of U.S. Compliance in Pending Cases

Description: Although the United States has complied with adverse rulings in many past World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes, there are currently 14 cases in which rulings have not yet been implemented or the United States has acted and the dispute has not been fully resolved. Nine unresolved cases involve trade remedies. The report discusses all fourteen cases in detail, which include antidumping, aircraft subsidies, cotton subsidies, online gambling restrictions, music copyright law, and trademark infri… more
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Grimmett, Jeanne J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mandatory Spending Since 1962

Description: Federal spending is divided into three broad categories: discretionary spending, mandatory spending, and net interest. Federal spending has outrun federal revenues for the last 10 fiscal years. In the long term, projections suggest that if current policies remain unchanged, the United States faces a major fiscal imbalance, largely due to rising health care costs and impending Baby Boomer retirements. Because discretionary spending is a smaller proportion of total federal outlays compared to man… more
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Trade Remedy Laws and Nonmarket Economies: A Legal Overview

Description: Two major U.S. trade remedies are antidumping (AD) law, which combats the sale of imported products at less than their fair market value, and countervailing duty (CVD) law, which aims to offset foreign government subsidization of imported goods. This report discusses these two law's impact on U.S. foreign relations.
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Grimmett, Jeanne J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Health Care: Constitutional Rights and Legislative Powers

Description: The health care reform debate raises many complex issues including those of coverage, accessibility, cost, accountability, and quality of health care. Underlying these policy considerations are issues regarding the status of health care as a constitutional or legal right. This report analyzes constitutional and legal issues pertaining to a right to health care, as well as the power of Congress to enact and fund health care programs. Following the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable… more
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: Swendiman, Kathleen S.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Budget Control Act of 2011: The Effects on Spending and the Budget Deficit When the Automatic Spending Cuts Are Implemented

Description: Following a lengthy debate over raising the debt limit, the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25) was signed into law by President Obama on August 2, 2011. To provide context for this debate, this report discusses the effects of the BCA on spending and the deficit, assuming that the January 2013 automatic spending reductions proceed as scheduled.
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Levit, Mindy R. & Labonte, Marc
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress

Description: The question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning. The question is of particular importance to the U.S. Navy, because many U.S. military programs for countering improved Chinese military forces would fall within the Navy's budget. Potential oversight issues for Congress include the following: whether the U.S. Navy in coming years will be large enough to adeq… more
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Depreciating Dollar: Economic Effects and Policy Response

Description: This report discusses the trend of depreciation of the dollar since 2002. This raises concern among some in Congress and the public that the dollar's decline is a symptom of broader economic problems, such as a weak economic recovery, rising public debt, and a diminished standing in the global economy. However, a falling currency is not always a problem, but possibly an element of economic adjustments that are, on balance, beneficial to the economy.
Date: February 23, 2012
Creator: Elwell, Craig K.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Building Civilian Interagency Capacity for Missions Abroad: Key Proposals and Issues for Congress

Description: This report draws on over three dozen studies with recommendations to improve the current national security system. The studies surveyed include three prepared by the Project on National Security Reform, with comprehensive recommendations, four prepared or co-sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and two by RAND in conjunction with the American Academy of Diplomats, as well as reports by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Defense Science Board, the National … more
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.; Dale, Catherine & Towell, Pat
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The First Responder Network and Next- Generation Communications for Public Safety: Issues for Congress

Description: Since September 11, 2001, when communications failures contributed to the tragedies of the day, Congress has passed several laws intended to create a nationwide emergency communications capability. Yet the United States has continued to strive for a solution that assures seamless communications among first responders and emergency personnel at the scene of a major disaster. To address this problem, Congress included provisions in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (P.L. 11… more
Date: May 23, 2012
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybercrime: Conceptual Issues for Congress and U.S. Law Enforcement

Description: This report gives an overview of cybercrime, which can include crimes such as identity theft, payment card fraud, and intellectual property theft. The report discusses where the criminal acts exist (in both the real and digital worlds), motivations for cybercrimes, and who is committing them, as well as government definitions, strategies, and methods of tracking cybercrime.
Date: May 23, 2012
Creator: Finklea, Kristin M. & Theohary, Catherine A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Noncitizen Eligibility for Needs-Based Housing Programs

Description: The issue of noncitizen eligibility for federally funded programs, including needs-based housing programs, is a perennial issue in Congress. Noncitizen eligibility varies among the needs-based housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), such as Public Housing, Section 8 vouchers and project-based rental assistance, homeless assistance programs, housing for the elderly (§202) and the disabled (§811), the HOME program, and the Community Developmen… more
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Siskin, Alison & McCarty, Maggie
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Wildfire Protection in the Wildland-Urban Interface

Description: Congress continues to face questions about forestry practices, funding levels, and the federal role in wildfire protection. Recent fire seasons have been, by most standards, among the worst in the past half century. This report looks at factors contributing to wildfires as well as active and preventative treatments for wildfires.
Date: January 23, 2012
Creator: Gorte, Ross W. & Bracmort, Kelsi
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights

Description: This report discusses the situation immediately following the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq on December 18, 2011, when relations among major political factions worsened substantially, threatening Iraq's stability and the legacy of the U.S. intervention in Iraq. It includes an overview of historical and current political, military, and governance issues as well as an analysis of Iraq in relation to the other nations in the region.
Date: February 23, 2012
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Budget Control Act: Potential Impact of Automatic Spending Reduction Procedures on Health Reform Spending

Description: This report discusses the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25), which established new budget enforcement mechanisms for reducing the federal deficit by at least $2.1 trillion over the 10-year period FY2012-FY2021. The BCA places statutory limits, or caps, on discretionary spending for each of those 10 fiscal years, which will save an estimated $0.9 trillion during that period. In addition, it creates a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Joint Committee), which is instructed t… more
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: Redhead, C. Stephen
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Global Challenge of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria

Description: This report examines formal interagency collaborative arrangements and activities, which are intended to enhance joint efforts and cooperation among independent federal agencies with shared responsibilities and overlapping jurisdictions. This report highlights some of the current challenges posed by HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, as well as several crosscutting policy issues that the 112th Congress may consider as it determines U.S. global health funding for these three diseases, including: Health … more
Date: February 23, 2012
Creator: Kendall, Alexandra E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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