Congressional Research Service Reports - 99 Matching Results
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- The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes, Issues for Congress
- This report discusses a number of potential oversight questions raised by a National Security Strategy (NSS) document released by the Obama Administration.
- Agricultural Disaster Assistance
- This report briefly discusses the federal grand jury, which exists to investigate crimes against the United States and to secure the constitutional right of grand jury indictment.
- Agricultural Disaster Assistance
- This report discusses several programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help farmers recover financially from natural disasters, including drought and floods. All the programs have permanent authorization, and only one requires a federal disaster designation (the emergency loan program). Most programs receive funding amounts that are "such sums as necessary" and are not subject to annual discretionary appropriations.
- Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements
- This report provides an overview of many of the key arms control and nonproliferation agreements and endeavors of the past 40 years. It is divided into three sections. The first describes arms control efforts between the United States and the states of the former Soviet Union. The second section describes multilateral nuclear nonproliferation efforts. The final section reviews treaties and agreements that address chemical, biological, and conventional weapons.
- Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy
- This report discusses the current state of reform and foreign policy in Bahrain. An uprising against Bahrain's Al Khalifa royal family that began on February 14, 2011, has not achieved the goals of Shiite oppositionists to establish a constitutional monarchy. Public unrest has diminished since 2012, but occasional large demonstrations, opposition boycotts of elections, and continued arrests of dissidents counter government assertions that Bahrain has "returned to normal."
- Bypassing Senate Committees: Rule XIV and Unanimous Consent
- This report examines the alternative procedures and actions that the Senate uses to bypass committee consideration of bills and joint resolutions. It also provides examples of how the Senate uses these alternative procedures and actions to facilitate consideration and passage of some bills and joint resolutions.
- Candidates, Groups, and the Campaign Finance Environment
- This report briefly discusses the current campaign finance environment and the implications of changes to campaign finance policy over the past several decades.
- Clean Air Issues in the 114th Congress: An Overview
- This report discusses regulatory actions that have recently received attention in the 114th Congress including EPA's proposed regulations on the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from power plants, and a proposed revision of the ambient air quality standard for ozone.
- Columbia River Treaty Review
- This report provides a brief overview of the Columbia River Treaty review. It includes background on the history of the basin and consideration of the treaty, as well as a brief summary of studies and analyses of the Columbia River Treaty review process to date.
- Commemorative Commissions: Overview, Structure, and Funding
- This report discusses the Commemorative Commissions that typically coordinate celebrations, Scholarly events, public gathering, and other activities , often to coincide with a milestone anniversary.
- Congressional Franking Privilege: Background and Recent Legislation
- This report discusses the congressional franking privilege, which dates from 1775 and allows Members of Congress to transmit mail matter under their signature without postage.
- Congressional Primer on Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies
- This report provides information that can aid policy makers as they navigate through the many levels of responsibility of dealing with emergencies, and numerous policy pressure points, by having an understanding of the laws and administrative policies governing the disaster response and recovery process. The report also reviews the legislative framework that exists for providing federal assistance.
- Consumers and Food Price Inflation
- This report provides information on the current status and outlook for U.S. food prices, measuring their changes and how such changes relate to U.S. consumers.
- Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- Recent reports that certain entities continued to receive federal government contracts after reincorporating overseas have prompted questions about current and proposed restrictions on contracting with “inverted domestic corporations.” These questions are shaped, in part, by the broader debate over whether such corporations are to be seen as “deserters,” who change their corporate citizenship to avoid paying U.S. taxes, or as evidencing systemic problems in the U.S. tax code. This report provides the answers to 14 frequently asked questions regarding the current restrictions on contracting with inverted domestic corporations, proposed amendments thereto, and the relationship between prohibitions upon contracting with inverted domestic corporations and other provisions of law that restrict dealings with “foreign” contractors.
- Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods and the WTO Trade Dispute on Meat Labeling
- This report upheld the compliance panel findings that COOL treated imported livestock less favorably than domestic livestock, but could not determine if COOL was more trade restrictive than necessary.
- Critical Infrastructures: Background, Policy, and Implementation
- This report discusses the evolution of a national critical infrastructure policy and the institutional structures established to implement it. Critical infrastructure includes physical assets used to produce and distribute services such as electricity (including the power plants and electric grid), communications, and computers. The report highlights five issues of Congressional concern: identifying critical assets; assessing vulnerabilities and risks; allocating resources; information sharing; and regulation.
- Cuba: President Obama’s New Policy Approach
- This report focuses on President Obama’s new policy approach regarding Cuba.
- Current Debates over Exchange Rates: Overview and Issues for Congress
- This report provides information on current debates over exchange rates in the global economy. It offers an overview of how exchange rates work; analyzes specific disagreements and debates; and examines existing frameworks for potentially addressing currency disputes. It also lays out some policy options available to Congress, should Members want to take action on exchange rate issues.
- Defense Spending and the Budget Control Act Limits
- This report discusses the Budget Control Act, which sets limits on defense spending between FY2012 and FY2021. The current debate in Congress has centered on whether to adjust the BCA defense caps upward; move base budget spending to accounts designated for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) that are not subject to spending limits; reduce the defense spending in the Administration's request to comply with BCA revised caps; or use some combination of these approaches, all in order to avoid a sequester.
- Deployable Federal Assets Supporting Domestic Disaster Response Operations: Summary and Considerations for Congress
- This report reviews several key concepts about federal disaster assets, and highlights possible issues Congress may consider when evaluating their authorization and appropriation.
- DHS Budget v. DHS Appropriations: Fact Sheet
- This report contains a significant portion of the department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) budget. It also contains the CRS analysis of the FY2016 DHS congressional justification.
- DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: FY2016 Appropriations
- This report discusses the Department of Energy's (DOE) FY2016 budget request seeks $2.723 billion, an increase of $809 million (42%) for Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The EERE conducts two types of programs: research and development (R&D), usually conducted in partnership with private sector firms, and grant funds that are distributed to state governments.
- Earmark Disclosure Rules in the House: Member and Committee Requirements
- This report outlines the major administrative responsibilities of Members and committees of the House of Representatives associated with the chamber's earmark disclosure rules. Earmark disclosure rules in both the House and Senate were implemented with the stated intention of bringing more transparency to congressionally directed spending. The administrative responsibilities associated with these rules vary by chamber.
- Earmark Disclosure Rules in the Senate: Member and Committee Requirements
- This report is categorized into five categories: (I) Introduction, (II) Senate Earmark Disclosure Rule, (III) Legislation Subject to the Rule, (IV) Requirement for Senators Submitting Earmark Requests and (V) Requirements for Committees.
- Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs
- No Description Available.
- Environmental Provisions in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
- No Description Available.
- EPA and the Army Corps' Proposed "Waters of the United States" Rule: Congressional Response and Options
- This report discusses four legislative options that Congress could consider to halt or redirect the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineer's proposed "waters of the United States" rule: the Congressional Review Act, appropriations bill limitations, targeted legislation, and broad amendments to the Clean Water Act. Each option faces a steep path to enactment.
- Fact Sheet: Selected Highlights of H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2016
- No Description Available.
- Fact Sheet: Selected Highlights of H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2016
- This report includes a fact sheet based on the draft bill and committee report (H.Rept. 114-102) and is designed as a time-urgent product offering Members the best available information about the bill pending publication of a CRS report on the FY2016 Defense Authorization and Appropriations legislation.
- The Federal Grand Jury
- This report discusses the federal grand jury, which exists to investigate crimes against the United States and to secure the constitutional right of grand jury indictment.
- Federal Land Ownership: Acquisition and Disposal Authorities
- This report describes the primary authorities of the following agencies for acquiring and disposing of federal land. These four federal agencies--the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM), all in the Department of the Interior (DOI), and the U.S. Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture--administer about 95% of those lands.
- The First Responder Network (FirstNet) and Next-Generation Communications for Public Safety: Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt
- This report presents current data on estimated ownership of U.S. Treasury securities and major holders of federal debt by country. Federal debt represents the accumulated balance of borrowing by the federal government.
- Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits
- This report provides a legislative and cultural history of the Former Presidents Act. It details the pension and benefits provided to former U.S. presidents and their costs; Congress has the authority to reduce, increase, or maintain these benefits.
- Former Speakers of the House: Office Allowances, Franking Privileges, and Staff Assistance
- This report is categorized into Four Categories: (I) Introduction, (II) Background, (III) Allowance Currently Available to Former Speakers and (IV) Funding and Restrictions on Use.
- Franking Privilege: Mass Mailings and Mass Communications in the House, 1997-2014
- This report provides an analysis of House Member mass mailings (1997-2008, 2012-2014) and mass communications (2009-2014). Despite significant reductions in congressional mail postage costs over the past 25 years, critics continue to raise concerns about the franking privilege.
- Fundamentals of the U.S. Sugar Program
- No Description Available.
- The Future of Internet Governance: Should the U.S. Relinquish Its Authority Over ICANN?
- The report provides background information on Domain Name System and the role of the U.S. government. This report discusses the U.S. government limited authority over the Internet's domain name system, primarily through the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions contract between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
- FY2016 Appropriations: District of Columbia
- This report is categorized into two categories: (I) FY2016 Budget Request and (II) General Provisions: Key Policy Issues.
- The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: Overview and Legal Analysis of Potential Interactions
- No Description Available.
- Genomic Data and Privacy: Background and Relevant Law
- This report discusses considerations in the context of each of the relevant laws and regulations.
- Government Collection of Private Information: Background and Issues Related to the USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization in Brief
- This report discusses the legal background associated with the sunset of various provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act and of subsequent related legislation.
- Government Collection of Private Information: Background and Issues Related to the USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization in Brief
- This report discusses the legal background associated with the sunset of various provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act and of subsequent related legislation.
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) FY2016 Budget Request and Funding History: Fact Sheet
- This report focuses on the agency's funding.
- The Help America Vote Act and Election Administration: Overview and Issues
- This report discusses the Help America Vote Act (HAVA; P.L. 107-252) enacted in 2002. It provides background information about HAVA and its provisions, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), funding for the agency and for state programs to improve elections, and a number of enduring election administration issues.
- Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: Ongoing Outbreak
- This report gives a brief overview of the pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which as of May 15, 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported 168 cases.
- House Committee Funding: Description of Process and Analysis of Disbursements
- This report provides an overview of the committee funding process in the House and analyzes funding levels since 1996.
- How Have Small Banks Been Affected by Financial Reform?
- This report briefly summarizes a CRS analysis of major rules issued since 2010 by banking regulators pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act.
- Human-Induced Earthquakes from Deep-Well Injection: A Brief Overview
- This report reviews the current scientific understanding of induced seismicity, primarily in the context of Class II oil and gas waste water disposal wells.
- Immigration Detainers: Legal Issues
- An "immigration detainer" is a document by which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) advises other law enforcement agencies of its interest in individual aliens whom these agencies are detaining. This report surveys the various authorities governing immigration detainers, including the standard detainer form (Form I-247) sent by ICE to other law enforcement agencies. The report also discusses key legal issues raised by immigration detainers.