Congressional Research Service Reports - 304 Matching Results
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- “Good Samaritan” Tort Reform: Three House Bills
- This report discusses three 108th Congress tort reform bills: the Volunteer Pilot Organization Protection Act (H.R. 1084), the Good Samaritan Firefighter Assistance Act of 2003 (H.R. 1787), and the Nonprofit Athletic Organization Protection Act of 2003 (H.R. 3369).
- Medical Malpractice Liability Reform: Legal Issues and Fifty-State Survey of Caps on Punitive Damages and Noneconomic Damages
- No Description Available.
- Medical Malpractice Liability Reform: Legal Issues and Fifty-State Survey of Caps on Punitive Damages and Noneconomic Damages
- No Description Available.
- Medical Malpractice Liability Reform: Legal Issues and Fifty-State Survey of Caps on Punitive Damages and Noneconomic Damages
- No Description Available.
- The Department of Defense Rules for Military Commissions: Analysis of Procedural Rules and Comparison with Proposed Legislation and the Uniform Code of Military Justice
- This report provides a background and analysis comparing military commissions as envisioned under M.C.O. No. 1 to general military courts-martial conducted under the UCMJ. The report notes some of the criticism directed at the President’s M.O., and explains how those concerns are addressed by the military commission orders and instructions. The report provides two charts to compare the regulations issued by the Department of Defense and standard procedures for general courts-martial under the Manual for Courts-Martial. The second chart, which compares procedural safeguards incorporated in the regulations with established procedures in courts martial, follows the same order and format used in CRS Report RL31262, Selected Procedural Safeguards in Federal, Military, and International Courts, in order to facilitate comparison with safeguards provided in federal court and the International Criminal Court.
- Partial-Birth Abortion: Recent Developments in the Law
- No Description Available.
- The Constitutionality of Including the Phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance
- On October 14, 2003, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in the appeal regarding the California statute, and on June 14, 2004, the Court reversed the Ninth Circuit’s decision finding that Newdow lacked standing to challenge the school district’s policy in federal court. This report summarizes the facts of the case, the opinions that have been rendered, congressional action, and the appeal to the Supreme Court. It will be updated as circumstances warrant.
- Partial-Birth Abortion: Recent Developments in the Law
- No Description Available.
- Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues
- No Description Available.
- Internet Gambling: An Abridged Overview of Federal Criminal Law
- No Description Available.
- Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues
- No Description Available.
- Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues
- No Description Available.
- Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues
- No Description Available.
- Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues
- No Description Available.
- Proposed Change to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) under S. 113
- This report discusses S. 113, a bill to extend the coverage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ("FISA") to non-U.S. persons who engage in international terrorism or activities in preparation for terrorist acts, without a showing of membership in or affiliation with an international terrorist group.
- State and Local Sales Tax Deductibility: Legislation in the 108th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Legal Issues Related to Prescription Drug Sales on the Internet
- No Description Available.
- Comparison of California's Financial Information Privacy Act of 2003 with Federal Privacy Provisions
- The California Financial Information Privacy Act,1 enacted on August 28, 2003, and effective on July 1, 2004, governs the rights of California residents with respect to the dissemination of nonpublic personal information by financial institutions. In some respects, it diverges from two federal laws that impose restrictions on the dissemination of nonpublic personally identifiable customer information by financial information.
- The Budget Enforcement Act of 1997: A Fact Sheet
- This is a report n the Budget Enforcement Act of 1997: the fact sheet.
- Brownfields and Superfund Issues in the 108th Congress
- The Superfund program for cleaning up the nation’s worst hazardous waste sites was created by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, or CERCLA (P.L. 96-510, as amended). This report discusses recent development and background issues, superfund issues, revenue issues, comprehensive reauthorization, and legislation regarding superfund program.
- Internet Gambling: Overview of Federal Criminal Law
- This report is a brief summary of the federal criminal status implicated by conducting illegal gambling using the internet. It also discusses some of the constitutional issues associated with prosecuting illegal internet gambling.
- War on Drugs: Legislation in the 108th Congress and Related Developments
- No Description Available.
- FBI Intelligence Reform Since September 11, 2001: Issues and Options for Congress
- This report identifies five options for Congress to consider, including the creation of a domestic intelligence agency like Great Britain’s MI-5.
- Border Security: U.S.-Canada Immigration Border Issues
- This report discusses the U.S.-Canada Immigration Border Issues related to Border Security.
- Semiautomatic Assault Weapons Ban
- This report focuses on the use and interpretation of firearms trace data produced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
- Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th Congress and those that are pending in the 108th Congress. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital (and traditional) copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
- Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th Congress and those that are pending in the 108th Congress. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital (and traditional) copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
- Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th Congress and those that are pending in the 108th Congress. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital (and traditional) copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
- Highway and Transit Program Reauthorization Legislation in the 2nd Session, 108th Congress
- This report discusses significant legislative provisions in the two principal bills that are likely to be the subject of congressional discussion in the coming weeks and months to reauthorize federal highway, highway safety, and transit programs.
- Project BioShield: Legislative History and Side-by-Side Comparison of H.R. 2122, S. 15, and S. 1504
- Few effective countermeasures currently exist to deal with chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terror agents. In early 2003, the Bush administration proposed Project BioShield to stimulate the development of such countermeasures and to procure them for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). Congress considered three bills that incorporated much of the administration’s proposal: S. 15 (Gregg), H.R. 2122 (Tauzin), and S. 1504 (Gregg). H.R. 2122 passed the House on July 16, 2003. S. 15 passed the Senate on May 25, 2004, in an amended form similar to H.R. 2122. This version of S. 15 passed the House on July 14, 2004. President Bush signed S. 15 into law as the Project BioShield Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-276) on July 21, 2004.
- Enforcing Immigration Law: The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement
- This report examines the role of state and local law enforcement in enforcing immigration law. The discussion is limited to the role of state and local law enforcement in the investigation, arrest, and detention of all immigration violators. The report does not discuss the prosecution, adjudication, or removal of aliens who violate the law. The report opens with a brief discussion of the types of immigration interior enforcement activities that the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) pursued and the current immigration activities that are now the focus of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A discussion of the legal authority that permits state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration law under certain circumstances follows. Current administrative efforts to involve state and local law enforcement in enforcing immigration law as well as selected issues are discussed. The report concludes with a discussion of the pros and cons of such a policy and an analysis of policy options for Congress.
- Comparison of 9/11 Commission Recommended Intelligence Reforms, S. 2845, S. 2774, H.R. 5024, Administration Proposal, H.R. 10, Current Law
- This report, the second of two reports, presents side-by-side comparisons of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and current law and legislation proposed by Senators Collins and Lieberman (S. 2845) and unanimously approved by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on September 22, 2004, as amended; House Speaker Dennis Hastert (H.R. 10), as reported out be the House Committee on Rules; Senators McCain and Lieberman (S. 2774); Representative Pelosi (H.R. 5024); and President Bush. CRS Report RL32600 presents side-by-side comparisons of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and current law; and legislation proposed by Senators Feinstein, Bob Graham, Daschle, and Roberts; President Bush; and relevant provisions of current law.
- Comparison of 9/11 Commission Recommended Intelligence Reforms, S. 2845, S. 2774, H.R. 5024, Administration Proposal, H.R. 10, Current Law
- This report, the second of two reports, presents side-by-side comparisons of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and current law and legislation proposed by Senators Collins and Lieberman (S. 2845) and unanimously approved by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on September 22, 2004, as amended; House Speaker Dennis Hastert (H.R. 10), as reported out be the House Committee on Rules; Senators McCain and Lieberman (S. 2774); Representative Pelosi (H.R. 5024); and President Bush. CRS Report RL32600 presents side-by-side comparisons of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and current law; and legislation proposed by Senators Feinstein, Bob Graham, Daschle, and Roberts; President Bush; and relevant provisions of current law.
- Scientific Research and the Experimental Use Privilege in Patent Law
- No Description Available.
- Social Security: The Public Servant Retirement Protection Act (H.R. 4391/S. 2455)
- No Description Available.
- Comparison of 9/11 Commission Recommended Intelligence Reforms, Roberts Draft Bill, H.R. 4104, S. 190, S. 1520, S. 6, H.R. 4584, and Current Law
- This report, the first of two reports, presents side-by-side comparisons of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and legislation proposed by Senators Feinstein, Bob Graham, Daschle, and Roberts; and Representatives Harman and Goss, and relevant provisions of current law. A second report (CRS Report RL32601) presents a side-by-side comparison of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and legislation proposed by Senators Collins, Lieberman, and McCain; President Bush; and relevant provisions of current law.
- The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: An Overview of the Statutory Framework and Recent Judicial Decisions
- This report will examine the detailed statutory structure provided by FISA and related provisions of E.O. 12333. In addition, it will discuss the decisions of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review
- Tax Benefits Enacted in the 108th Congress for Military Personnel
- The Military Families Tax Relief Act (MFTRA) contains several provisions that: 1) increase the death gratuity payment and make it fully tax-exempt; 2) provide members of the military with extended time to defer capital gains resulting from the sale of their principal residences; 3) exempt from income benefits received from the Department of Defense Homeowners Assistance Program; 4) expand combat zone filing rules to include military personnel involved in contingency operations; 5) extend the criteria defining membership in veterans’ organizations; 6) create an above-the-line deduction for overnight travel expenses of National Guard and reserve members; and a few other items.
- Biological and Chemical Weapons: Criminal Sanctions and Federal Regulations
- This report reviews criminal sanctions attaching to the development,production,possesion, and use of biological weapons.It also addresses certain federal regulations attaching to the development,production, and transportation of biological agents.
- Government Performance and Results Act: Brief History and Implementation Activities
- This report discusses implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act.
- Survey of Federal Laws and Regulations Mandating Affirmative Action Goals, Set-asides, or Other Preference Based on Race, Gender, or Ethnicity
- This report provides a broad but by no means an exhaustive, survey of federal statutes and regulations that specifically refer to race, gender, or ethnicity as factors to be considered in the administration of any federal program. Such measures may include, but are not limited to, goals, timetables, set-asides, and quotas, as those terms are generally (however imperfectly) understood. Based on several searches of LEXIS/NEXIS and WESTLAW legal databases, and a variety of search strategies, the compilation seeks to be as comprehensive as possible. With certain noted exceptions, the report collectively describes those statutes, regulations, or executive orders uncovered by our research which appear, in any manner, to prefer or consider race, gender, or ethnicity as affirmative factors in federal employment, in the allocation of federal contracts, or in granting any federal benefit to individuals or institutions. Several laws and regulations directed to “socially and economically disadvantaged” individuals and institutions are included because, as more fully explained by the report, that term has been defined administratively and by statute to presumptively apply to specific racial and ethnic minorities.
- Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004: "Lone Wolf" Amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
- This report discusses the "Lone Wolf" Amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which designates non-United States persons who engage in or prepare to commit international terrorism as "agents of a foreign power".
- Special Rules and Options for Regulating the Amending Process
- This report identifies the most common kinds of modifications recommended by the Rules Committee in terms used by the committee.
- Accounting Reform After Enron: Issues in the 108th Congress
- This report discusses the anxieties within Congress in the wake of the Enron scandal. Moreover, the report notes that the 108th Congress is not likely to pass legislative reform as extreme as the 107th Congress, but will still confront issues of accounting reform. The report also highlights what the 108th Congress plans to reform.
- 9/11 Commission: Current Legislative Proposals for U.S. Immigration Law and Policy
- This report briefly discusses some of the major immigration areas under consideration in comprehensive reform proposals suggested by the 9/11 Commission, including asylum, biometric tracking systems, border security, document security, exclusion, immigration enforcement, and visa issuances. It refers to other CRS reports that discuss these issues in depth and will be updated as needed.
- Taxes, Exports and Investment: ETI/FSC and Domestic Investment Proposals in the 108th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: Term Limits and Assignment Limitations
- This report addresses issues related to the impact on the Intelligence Committee if term limits are abolished and other assignment questions addressed in S. Res. 445.
- War On Drugs: Legislation in the 108th Congress and Related Developments
- This report covers significant legislative and oversight activities of the 108th Congress that concern domestic law enforcement aspects of federal anti-drug policy. Also included will be significant executive branch actions and other current developments of likely interest to the congressional audience that follows this issue.
- Federal Regulatory Reform: An Overview
- This report provides Congress with a broad overview of significant congressional and presidential regulatory reform efforts within the past 20 to 30 years.
- The 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act: Comparison of the Criminal Law and Procedure Provisions in H.R. 10 and S. 2845 as Passed by Their Respective Houses
- This report provides a brief description of the substantive criminal law and procedures provisions of the House-passed version of H.R. 10 and Senate passed S.2845.