Congressional Research Service Reports - 45 Matching Results
Search Results
- Amtrak Reauthorization: S. 738
- The report discusses the bill that was introduced on May 14,1997, by the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on surface Transportation and Merchant Marine, and the bill was referred to that committee.
- Analysis of Ten Selected Science and Technology Policy Studies
- Since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, a number of reports have been prepared on a broad range of science and technology (S&T) policy issues, most notably dealing with national research and development (R&D) goals, priorities, and budgets, and university-government-industry relationships. This report discusses and analyzes ten of these S&T reports.
- APEC and the 1997 Summit in Vancouver
- This report is categorized into seven categories: (I) The Issue, (II) Background, (III) The APEC Process and Activities, (IV) The Osaka Action Agenda, (V) The Manila Action Plan for APEC (MAPA), (VI) The 1997 Vancouver Meetings and (VII) Conclusion.
- Appropriations for FY1998: Defense
- The report discusses national defense foreign affairs. It also points out defense budget trends, key budget and policy issues and legislation.
- Appropriations for FY1998: Department of Transportation and Related Agencies
- This report is the synopsis of selected DOT Programs and the House and Senate funding recommended for those programs.
- Attorneys' Fees in the State Tobacco Litigation Cases
- Some states have hired private attorneys to file complaints against the tobacco companies in court to recover Medicaid costs towards treating citizens for tobacco related illnesses. This report mentions the fee agreements between the states and private counsel.
- Aviation Taxes and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund
- This report discusses the reauthorization of excise tax revenues for the airport and airway trust fund, which has been a contentious issue for the last two years. Most of the concern during this period was about future funding needs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The issue, somewhat unexpectedly, became an element of the tax plans embedded in House and Senate FY1998 budget reconciliation proposals. The House proposed a major structural change in how aviation taxes would be imposed.
- Business and Labor Spending in U.S. Elections
- Federal election law has long prohibited corporate and union spending in federal elections, but distinctions in statutes and judicial rulings have opened avenues by which these groups have been able to spend money in the electoral process. Business groups make particular use of political action committee (PAC) donations to candidates and soft money donations to parties. Unions made prominent use of issue advocacy in 1996, but labor’s political strength lies in exempt activity communications with members. This report explains these tools and their use in today’s elections.
- Checklists of CRS Products on Public Policy Issues
- No Description Available.
- China and the Multilateral Development Banks
- Congress is currently considering appropriations for U.S. contributions to the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) as well as separate legislation that would require U.S. representatives to these institutions to oppose all concessional loans to China. This report provides a brief analysis of China’s relationship with the MDBs to highlight some issues and help Members of Congress, congressional staff, and observers better understand the context for the current debates in Congress and the multilateral agencies.
- The Civilian Marksmanship Program
- This report covers the Civilian Marksmanship Program and its relationship with Congress. It also covers issues and controversial nature of the government initiated program.
- Clean Water Issues in the 105th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Committee System: Rules Changes in the House, 105th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Comparison of Titles VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Americans with Disabilities Act; Age Discrimination in Employment Act; Title IX of Education Amendments of 1972; and Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- No Description Available.
- The Difference Between DOD Programs That Develop Dual-Use Technologies and DOD’s Dual-Use Technology Development Programs–A Fact Sheet
- No Description Available.
- Electric Utility Restructuring: Overview of Basic Policy Questions
- No Description Available.
- Electricity Restructuring: Comparison of S. 1401, H.R. 655, H.R. 1230, S. 722, and H.R. 1960
- No Description Available.
- English as the Official Language of the United States: An Overview
- No Description Available.
- Environmental Protection: How Much it Costs and Who Pays
- This report discusses a recurring issue in environmental policy: the cost of pollution control imposed on individuals, businesses, and governments.
- Excise Taxes on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Gasoline: History and Inflation Adjusted Rates
- No Description Available.
- Fast Track for Trade Agreements: Procedural Controls for Congress and Proposed Alternatives
- This report discusses the fast track trade procedures in the Trade Act of 1974 operate as procedural rules of the House and Senate, and the statute itself declares them to be enacted as an exercise of the constitutional authority of each house to determine its own rules. These procedures prevent Congress from altering an implementing bill or declining to act, but permit it to enact or reject the bill. By these means Congress retains authority to legislate in the areas covered, yet affords the President conditions for effective negotiation.
- Fast-Track Trade Authority Proposals: Which Environmental Issues are Included in the Principal Negotiating Objectives?
- This report discusses fast-track negotiating authority, which provides that Congress will consider trade agreements within mandatory deadlines, with limited debate, and without amendment. Environmental provisions are eligible for the fast-track procedure only if they meet at least one of the principal trade negotiating objectives.
- Fast-Track Trade Authority: Which Environmental Issues are "Directly Related to Trade"?
- This report discusses fast-track negotiating authority, which provides that Congress will consider trade agreements within mandatory deadlines, with limited debate, and without amendment. Trade negotiating objectives have generally been included in fast-track legislation to establish priorities for trade negotiators.
- The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996: An Overview
- No Description Available.
- Federal Indian Law: Background and Current Issues
- This report briefly describes some of the fundamentals of federal Indian law, including the concept of tribal sovereignty and the allocation of authority among state, federal, and tribal governments with reference to criminal and civil laws and taxation.
- Federal R&D Funding Trends In Five Agencies: NSF, NASA, NIST, DOE (Civilian) and NOAA
- This report includes a brief analysis of federal research and development funding trends for the past six years as well as R&D funding projects to FY2000.
- Federal Restrictions on State or Local Government Officer or Employee Political Activities
- This report examines federal restrictions on state or local government officer or employee political activities which are regulated by the Hatch Act. In 1940, the law was amended to cover certain state (including territories or possessions) or local government officers or employees. All but three of the prohibitions on political activity by these individuals were removed in 1974. Enforcement provisions were added in 1978. Legislation is pending in the House of Representatives in the 105th Congress to repeal the provision prohibiting state or local government officers or employees from seeking elective office.
- Federal Statutes Allowing Consumers "Cooling Off" Periods to Rescind Contracts
- No Description Available.
- Fiscal Year 1998 Continuing Resolutions
- No Description Available.
- Fiscal Year 1998 Continuing Resolutions
- Congress annually considers 13 regular appropriations bills providing funding for agency operations. If any of these bills are not enacted by the start of the fiscal year (October 1), the nonessential activities of the agencies funded in the outstanding bills must cease. In those years in which all 13 bills are not enacted by the deadline, Congress adopts measures continuing funding until the regular bills are enacted. This report discusses these measures, which are referred to as continuing resolutions.
- Gasoline Excise Tax—Historical Revenues: Fact Sheet
- The federal government has levied a tax on gasoline since 1932. This report provides a table that examines this tax since its inception.
- Global Climate Change: The Role of U.S. Foreign Assistance
- This report discusses the role of U.S. foreign assistance to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that most experts believe cause global warming
- Global Climate Change Treaty: Negotiations and Related Issues
- This report discusses the negotiations leading the Kyoto conference of the parties. The United States and other parties to the 1992 Climate Change Convention signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro will meet December 1-12 in Kyoto, Japan, to conclude year-long negotiations on a legally binding protocol or amendment to reduce or stabilize emissions of greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. proposal to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases to 1990 levels between 2008-2012 is less ambitious than environmentalists and many other treaty Parties urge, but represents a commitment that others, including many in business, fear could damage the economy. A key aspect of the negotiations also is what should be expected of developing nations, whose current emissions of greenhouse gases are relatively small, but are expected to increase rapidly over the next decade with economic development. A sense of the Senate resolution calls for all countries to meet scheduled reductions, and would agree to U.S. participation only if harm to the domestic economy is avoided. If agreement is reached in Kyoto, Senate approval would be required for U.S. ratification, and legislation to implement commitments would also likely be necessary.
- Grants and Foundation Support: Selected Sources of Information on Government and Private Funding
- This report provides a bibliography that describe general sources of support and a few of the current general guides to writing grant proposals.
- Grants Work in a Congressional Office
- Members of Congress often get requests from constituents for information and help in obtaining funds for projects. Many state and local governments, nonprofit social service and community action organizations, private research groups, small businesses, and individuals approach congressional offices to find out about funding, both from the federal government and from the private sector. The success rate in obtaining federal assistance is not high, given the competition for federal funds. A grants staff’s effectiveness often depends on both an understanding of the grants process and on the relations it establishes with agency and other contacts. The following report does not constitute a blueprint for every office involved in grants and projects activity, nor does it present in-depth information about all aspects of staff activity in this area. The discussion is aimed at describing some basics about the grants process and some of the approaches and techniques used by congressional offices in dealing with this type of constituent service.
- Highway Fund Sanctions for Clean Air Act Violations
- This report provides information concerning the authority to impose sanctions, lists the 14 areas that have been subject to sanctions since 1990, describes their status as of October 1997, and discusses the role of sanctions and alternatives under the act.
- How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction
- This report presents a brief description of the five methods used to bring proposed legislation to the House floor for consideration.
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Reauthorization Legislation: An Overview
- This report provides an overview of IDEA and its reauthorization and describes the IDEA Amendments of 1997.
- "Mad Cow Disease" or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: Scientific and Regulatory Issues
- This report discusses the regulatory issues regarding cattle disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and a rare, fatal human illness, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
- Medicare: Payments to HMOs and Other Private Plans Under the Medicare+Choice Program
- This report describes how payments will be calculated under the Medicare+Choice program established under the new law.
- Medicare: Private Contracts
- This report discusses private contracting for medicare,which is the term used to describe situations where a physician and a patient agree not to submit a claim for a service which would otherwise be covered and paid for by Medicare.
- Peacekeeping Options: Considerations for U.S. Policymakers and the Congress
- This report provides a frame of reference for considering the relative merits of using these organizations in peace and security operations. It first reviews the types of actions and activities available to deal with situations ranging from low-level tension to open conflict to post-conflict transition. It then examines, for each of the organizations, the major considerations, i.e., effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages, and other important issues for U.S. policy makers in their use.
- Prison Litigation Reform Act: Survey of Post-Reform Act Prisoners' Civil Rights Cases
- This report summarizes the Prison Litigation Reform Act and surveys post- Reform Act court decisions interpreting the Act and other cases concerning prisoners' civil rights.
- Turkey: Situation Update
- This report briefly discusses recent political, economic, and security issues in Turkey, especially relating to Turkey's relationship with Greece, the European Union, and the United States.
- World Heritage Convention and U.S. National Parks
- This report describes the operation of the UNESCO Convention and H.R. 901, legislation which would give Congress a role in designating any new U.S. national parks and monuments of world significance added to the World Heritage List, a UNESCO administered list established by the 1972 World Heritage Convention. Sponsors of the bill are concerned that designation of a U.S. site to the U.N. list, which is currently done under Executive Branch authority, does not protect the rights of private property owners or the States. The Administration and opponents of the bill argue that the designation has no effect on property rights and does not provide the United Nations with any legal authority over U.S. territory.