Congressional Research Service Reports - 55 Matching Results

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Small Business Size Standards: A Historical Analysis of Contemporary Issues

Description: This report provides a historical examination of the SBA's size standards, assesses competing views concerning how to define a small business, and discusses how the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 might affect program eligibility. It also discusses H.R. 585, the Small Business Size Standard Flexibility Act of 2011, which would authorize the SBA's Office of Chief Counsel for Advocacy to approve or disapprove a size standard proposed by a federal agency if it deviates from the SBA's size standard… more
Date: December 6, 2012
Creator: Dilger, Robert J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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SEC Climate Change Disclosure Guidance: An Overview and Congressional Concerns

Description: Issues regarding the Congressional appeal of the January 27, 2010 SEC-published 'Commission Guidance Regarding Disclosure Related to Climate Change', which clarifies how publicly traded corporations should apply existing SEC disclosure rules to certain mandatory financial filings with the SEC regarding the risk that climate change developments may have on their businesses.
Date: May 24, 2012
Creator: Shorter, Gary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Size Standards: A Historical Analysis of Contemporary Issues

Description: This report provides a historical examination of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) size standards, assesses competing views concerning how to define a small business, and discusses how various proposals to change the SBA's size standards -- including those adopted under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 -- might affect program eligibility. It also discusses H.R. 585, the Small Business Size Standard Flexibility Act of 2011, which would authorize the SBA's Office of Chief Counsel for A… more
Date: October 4, 2012
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The "8(a) Program" for Small Businesses Owned and Controlled by the Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: Legal Requirements and Issues

Description: This report provides a brief history of the 8(a) Program, summarizes key requirements, and discusses legal challenges alleging that the program's presumption that members of certain racial and ethnic groups are socially disadvantaged violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection.
Date: October 12, 2012
Creator: Manuel, Kate M. & Luckey, John R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program

Description: This report discusses the Small Business Innovation Development Act (P.L. 97-219. The report also discusses the program's extensions and reauthorization activity over the years.
Date: November 14, 2012
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Contract “Bundling” Under the Small Business Act: Existing Law and Proposed Amendments

Description: This report discusses regulations from Congress on bundling, which refers to the consolidation of two or more requirements for goods or services previously provided or performed under separate smaller contracts into a solicitation for a single contract that is likely to be unsuitable for award to a small business because of its size or scope. It particularly looks at the Small Business Act and new legislation by the 112th Congress to expand the definition of bundling, strengthen the authority o… more
Date: June 11, 2012
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Job Creation in the Manufacturing Revival

Description: This report looks at recent growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector, which has occurred not only as a result of the country's recovery from recession but also because a change in the nature of manufacturing work.
Date: June 20, 2012
Creator: Levinson, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Contracting and Subcontracting with Small Businesses: Issues in the 112th Congress

Description: Congress has generally broad authority to impose requirements upon the federal procurement process, or the process whereby agencies obtain goods and services from the private sector. One of the many ways in which Congress has exercised this authority is by enacting measures intended to promote contracting and subcontracting with "small businesses" by federal agencies. This report describes and analyzes measures that Members of the 112th Congress have enacted or proposed in response to particula… more
Date: March 7, 2012
Creator: Manuel, Kate M. & Lunder, Erika K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Corporate Income Tax System: Overview and Options for Reform

Description: This report (1) briefly reviews the current U.S. corporate tax system; (2) discusses economic factors that may be considered in the corporate tax reform debate; and (3) presents corporate tax reform policy options, including a brief discussion of current corporate tax reform proposals.
Date: September 13, 2012
Creator: Keightley, Mark P. & Sherlock, Molly F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Double-Dip Recession: Previous Experience and Current Prospect

Description: This report discusses factors suggesting an increased risk of a double-dip recession. A double-dip or W-shaped recession occurs when the economy emerges from a recession, has a short period of growth, but then, still well short of a full recovery, falls back into recession. It also discusses other factors that suggest economic recovery will continue. It presents the U.S. historical experience with double-dip recessions. It examines the role of deleveraging by households and businesses in the af… more
Date: June 19, 2012
Creator: Elwell, Craig K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Financial Performance of the Major Oil Companies, 2007-2011

Description: Periods of rising oil prices can result in reduced economic growth, rising prices, and reduced disposable incomes for consumers, as well as a deteriorating trade balance. For the oil industry, periods of high oil prices generally imply increasing cash flows and higher profits. Although the U.S. oil industry is composed of many firms, to many the face of the oil industry is represented by the five major firms operating extensively in the U.S. market. These firms are ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP plc… more
Date: February 17, 2012
Creator: Pirog, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Defining Small Business: A Historical Analysis of Contemporary Issues

Description: This report provides a historical examination of the SBA's size standards, assesses competing views concerning how to define a small business, and discusses how the alternative size standards adopted under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 might affect program eligibility.
Date: February 10, 2012
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Legal Protections for Subcontractors on Federal Prime Contracts

Description: This report provides an overview of the payment and other protections for subcontractors on certain federal prime contracts under the Miller Act, the 1988 amendments to the Prompt Payment Act, and the Small Business Act.
Date: December 10, 2012
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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An Analysis of the “Buffett Rule”

Description: This report is an Analysis of the “Buffett Rule”.
Date: March 28, 2012
Creator: Hungerford, Thomas L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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TARP Assistance for Chrysler: Restructuring and Repayment Issues

Description: This report describes the progress that New Chrysler has made since it was created from the sale of the Old Chrysler assets in July 2009 and the path of the divestment of the federal government's stake in Chrysler.
Date: September 7, 2012
Creator: Webel, Baird & Canis, Bill
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Senior Executive Service: Background and Options for Reform

Description: Report that provides a history and background of the Senior Executive Service (SES), examines the central features of the SES, and discusses some areas in which advocates for SES reform have called for change.
Date: September 6, 2012
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Reorganization: Overview and Issues for Congress

Description: On January 13, 2012, President Obama asked Congress for authority to reorganize and consolidate into one department the business- and trade-related functions of six federal entities. U.S. policymakers' interest in the organizational structure of U.S. government trade functions has grown in recent years, stimulated by congressional and federal efforts to promote U.S. exports and employment, including through the National Export Initiative (NEI). Interest also has been stimulated by national deb… more
Date: May 31, 2012
Creator: Ilias, Shayerah
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Supervision of U.S. Payment, Clearing, and Settlement Systems: Designation of Financial Market Utilities (FMUs)

Description: This report outlines the changes to the supervision of key market infrastructure that are embodied in the Dodd-Frank Act. It is intended to be used as a reference for those interested in the financial system's "plumbing," and how the associated systems are currently overseen and regulated.
Date: September 10, 2012
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy

Description: This report looks at the growing popularity of locally produced foods, and how that popularity and regional/local food systems are affected by the reauthorization of the 2008 farm bill.
Date: April 4, 2012
Creator: Johnson, Renée; Aussenberg, Randy Alison & Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy

Description: This report looks at the growing popularity of locally produced foods, and how that popularity and regional/local food systems are affected by the reauthorization of the 2008 farm bill.
Date: January 24, 2012
Creator: Johnson, Renée; Cowan, Tadlock & Aussenberg, Randy Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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