Congressional Research Service Reports - 155 Matching Results
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- The Unborn Victims of Violence Act
- This report examines the act's provisions, and reviews existing state laws that criminalize the killing of a fetus or unborn child. The report also discusses selected cases that have considered the legitimacy of state fetal homicide and unborn child homicide statutes.
- The U.N. Law of the Sea Convention and the United States: Developments Since October 2003
- On October 31, 2007, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to recommend Senate advice and consent to U.S. adherence to the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement Relating to Implementation of Part XI of that Convention. This followed the statement by President Bush on May 15, 2007, urging “the Senate to act favorably on U.S. accession” to the Convention. CRS Issue Brief IB95010, The Law of the Sea Convention and U.S. Policy, serves as a basic CRS source for discussion of issues related to the United States and the Convention and Agreement, whereas this report focuses on events and issues that emerged since October 2003. It summarizes the committee’s proposed resolution of advice and consent in 2004 and presents some of the issues raised in support of and in opposition to U.S. adherence.
- The Endangered Species Act and "Sound Science"
- This report provides a context for evaluating legislative proposals through examples of how science has been used in selected cases, a discussion of the nature and role of science in general, and its role in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) process in particular, together with general and agency information quality requirements and policies, and a review of how the courts have viewed agency use of science.
- Federal Statutes: What They Are and Where to Find Them
- This report provides a brief overview of federal statutes and where to find them, both in print and on the internet. When Congress passes a law, it may amend or repeal earlier enactments or it may write on a clean slate. After providing an overview on the basics of federal statutes, this report gives guidance on where federal statutes, in their various forms, may be located on the Internet.
- Unauthorized Alien Students: Issues and “DREAM Act” Legislation
- This report examines the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or the DREAM Act. The bills were introduced in the 109th Congress, one of which was incorporated into the immigration reform bill passed by the Senate. A key issues in the current debate about immigration reform is how to address the resident unauthorized alien population.
- BP Alaska North Slope Pipeline Shutdowns: Regulatory Policy Issues
- This report discusses policy issues in federal oversight of pipeline safety related to BP Alaska North Slope Pipeline operations.
- Federal Prison Industries
- No Description Available.
- Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913-2007
- This report provides data on elections of the Speaker in each Congress since 1913, when the House first reached its present size of 435 Members. During that period (63rd through 110th Congresses), a Speaker by resolution; in the more recent two, the body used the same procedure as at the outset of a Congress.
- Indonesia: Domestic Politics, Strategic Dynamics, and American Interests
- This report surveys key aspects of Indonesia's domestic politics and strategic dynamics in addition to provide general background information on Indonesia. It also provides an overview of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Indonesia.
- Tax Incentives for Charity: An Overview of Legislative Proposals
- This report briefly discusses the development of proposals for tax incentives for charity embodies in H.R. 7 and S. 476 in the 108th Congress and S. 6 in the 109th; the revisions in the Pension Protection Act (P.L. 109-280), and prospects for future legislation.
- The Financial Impact of Child Support on TANF Families: Simulation for Selected States
- This report provides a limited discussion of DRA's effect on former TANF families. The report address only the direct effects of adopting the DRA child support pass-through and disregard.
- Electronic Surveillance Modernization Act, as Passed by the House of Representatives
- This report summarizes the bill as passed by the House and analyzes the potential impact of its provisions were they to become law.
- House Committee Funding, 110th Congress
- This report summarizes requests from individual committees and funding levels reported by the Committee on House Administration, and compares 110th Congress-reported levels to authorizations for House committees in the 109th Congress.
- House Committee Funding Requests and Authorizations, 104th-110th Congresses
- This report provides committee funding requests and authorizations for House committees in the 104th-110th Congresses.
- House Committee Funding, 110th Congress
- This report summarizes requests from individual committees and funding levels reported by the Committee on House Administration, and compares 110th Congress-authorized levels to authorizations for House committees in the 109th Congress.
- House Committee Markup: Amendment Procedure
- This report states the essential purpose of a committee markup is to determine whether a measure pending before a committee should be altered, or amended, in any substantive way.
- Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts
- This report describes FSAs, the basis for their treatment, and data on their use.
- Court Security Improvement Act of 2007: H.R. 660/S. 378 in Brief
- No Description Available.
- The “Farm Bill” in Brief
- This report discusses the farm bill, which renewed about every five years, governs federal farm and food policy. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-171) is the most recent omnibus farm bill, covering a wide range of programs including commodity price and income support, farm credit, agricultural conservation, research, rural development, and foreign and domestic food programs, among others.
- The “Farm Bill” in Brief
- This report briefly discusses federal farm support, food assistance, agricultural trade, marketing, and rural development policies are governed by a variety of separate laws. Many of these laws periodically have been evaluated, revised, and renewed through an omnibus, multi-year farm bill. These policies can be and sometimes are modified through free-standing authorizing legislation, or as part of other laws.
- Congress’s Contempt Power: A Sketch
- This report outlines the source of the contempt power, reviews major developments in the case law, and analyzes the procedures associated with each of the three different types of contempt proceedings.
- Extradition To and From the United States: Overview of the Law and Recent Treaties
- Report outlining information about treaties and procedures followed by the United States related to extradition requests (originating in the U.S. or from a foreign country) to surrender a person for prosecution or punishment in another country. It includes footnotes and citations documenting relevant legal authority for the explanations, as well as an appendix listing the countries with which the U.S. does or does not have extradition treaties.
- Court Security Improvement Act of 2007: A Legal Analysis of H.R. 660/S. 378
- No Description Available.
- The “Farm Bill” in Brief
- Federal farm support, food assistance, agricultural trade, marketing, and rural development policies are governed by a variety of separate laws. Although many of these policies can be and sometimes are modified through freestanding authorizing legislation, or as part of other laws, the omnibus, multi-year farm bill provides an opportunity for policymakers to address agricultural and food issues more comprehensively.
- Government Access to Phone Calling Activity and Related Records: Legal Authorities
- Report summarizing statutory authorities regarding access by the government, for either foreign intelligence or law enforcement purposes, to information related to telephone calling patterns or practices.
- An Abridged Sketch of Extradition To and From the United States
- Abridged synopsis of information about treaties and procedures followed by the United States related to extradition requests (originating in the U.S. or from a foreign country) to surrender a person for prosecution or punishment in another country.
- The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape
- The report discusses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-Related Congressional Actions in the 112th Congress. The policymakers, including some in Congress, have long called for varying degrees and types of reform to the FCC. Most proposals fall into two categories: (1) procedural changes made within the FCC or through congressional action that would affect the agency's operations or (2) substantive policy changes requiring congressional action that would affect how the agency regulates different services and industry sectors.
- The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act
- President George W. Bush signed the Postal Enhancement and Accountability Act (P.L. 109-435) on December 20, 2006. This report briefly describes Congress’s pursuit of postal reform, summarizes the major provisions of the new postal reform law, and identifies possible P.L. 109-435 oversight issues for Congress.
- Nonimmigrant Overstays: Brief Synthesis of the Issue
- This report discusses a fundamental problem of immigration control in which foreign nationals enter legally on a temporary basis and continue to stay after their visas expire.
- Forestry in the 2007 Farm Bill
- This report briefly describes the Agriculture Committees' jurisdiction over forestry, with examples of legislation addressed by the committees. It discusses forestry issues likely to be debated in the upcoming farm bill and presents information on the forestry provisions in the Administration's proposal for the 2007 farm bill, followed by the forestry provisions in the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419).
- Telecommunications Act: Competition, Innovation, and Reform
- In 1996, Congress enacted comprehensive reform of the nation’s statutory and regulatory framework for telecommunications by passing the Telecommunications Act, which substantially amended the 1934 Communications Act. The general objective of the 1996 Act was to open up markets to competition by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers to entry. This report discusses the history of the law and examines current issues.
- BP Alaska North Slope Pipeline Shutdowns: Regulatory Policy Issues
- This report is categorized into four categories: (I) Introduction, (II) Federal Pipeline Safety Regulation, (III) Regulatory Policy Issues and (IV) Conclusion.
- Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920-2007
- This report discusses both the house and senate appropriations committees merged their subcommittees on transportation and treasury and created a new subcommittee to consider appropriation for the newly created department of homeland security.
- Debate and Motions on the House Floor: Allocation of Time
- This report addresses time limitations associated with selected House floor procedures.
- Burma and Transnational Crime
- This report discusses about Transnational Organized crime groups in Burma (Myanmar), that operates a multi billion dollar criminal industry that stretches across Southeast Asia.
- Fair Credit Reporting Act: Rights and Responsibilities
- This report discusses about the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that establishes a consumer's right. It also consists of Permissible Uses of Consumer Credit Reports and Consumer Rights.
- Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act of 2005 (CURIA)
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- Wildfire Funding
- This report briefly describes the three categories of federal programs for wildfire protection. One is to protect the federal lands managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (FS), and by the U.S. Department of the Interior, whose wildfire programs are coordinated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). A second category assists state and local governments and communities in protecting nonfederal lands; these programs are used to reduce wildland fuels, to otherwise prepare for fire control, to contain and control wildfires, and to respond after severe wildfires have burned. A third category of federal programs supports fire research, fire facilities, and improvements in forest health. The last section of this report discusses the impact of high and rising wildfire costs.
- Transportation Security: Issues for the 110th Congress
- The focus of this report is how best to construct and finance a system of deterrence, protection, and response that effectively reduces the possibility and consequences of another terrorist attack without unduly interfering with travel, commerce, and civil liberties.
- Automatic Enrollment in Section 401(k) Plans
- The reports is categorized into sic categories: (I) Types of Retirement Plans, (II) Enrollment Practices, (III) IRS Rulings, (IV) Policy Issues, (V) Plan Participation, and (VI) The Pension Protection Act.
- Exemptions from Environmental Law for the Department of Defense: Background and Issues for Congress
- Over time, Congress has included exemptions in several environmental statutes to ensure that requirements of those statutes would not restrict military training needs to the extent that national security would be compromised. This report discusses these exemptions and congressional disagreement over the need for broader exemptions in the absence of data on the overall impact of environmental requirements on training and readiness.
- Arsenic in Drinking Water: Regulatory Developments and Issues
- This report discusses the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments. These amendments directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update the standard for arsenic in drinking water.
- Budget Enforcement Procedures: Senate’s Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Rule
- This report discusses the senate PAYGO rule. It also points out how it applies only to legislation considered by the senate.
- Counting the Homeless: Homeless Management Information Systems
- This report describes the development of HMIS, summarizes information released in the AHAR, describes previous attempts to count the homeless, and reports on the continuing progress of HMIS.
- Burma: Economic Sanctions
- This report provides background information on existing economic sanctions against Burma and possible options to expand sanctions.
- Awards of Attorneys’ Fees by Federal Courts and Federal Agencies
- This report discusses the concept of prevailing party, the equal access to justice act, Awards of Attorneys' fees in Civil Right Cases and Awards of attorneys' fees in Tax cases.
- Legal Issues Raised by Provision in House Energy Bill (H.R. 6) Creating Incentives for Certain OCS Leaseholders to Accept Price Thresholds
- This report looks at several of the legal issues arguably raised by one such proposal, which on January 18, 2007, passed the House of Representatives as section 204 of H.R.6, the House energy bill.
- The Federal Budget: Sources of the Movement from Surplus to Deficit
- This report discusses about the federal budget that moved from a surplus of $128 billion in 2001 to a deficit of $413 billion in 2004. It also discusses about legislative reductions in revenue and increase in spending since 2001.
- Federal and State Quarantine and Isolation Authority
- This report provides an overview of federal and state public health laws as they relate to the quarantine and isolation of individuals, a discussion of constitutional issues that may be raised should individual liberties be restricted in a quarantine situation, and federalism questions that may arise where federal and state authorities overlap. In addition, the possible role of the armed forces in enforcing public health measures is discussed, specifically whether the Posse Comitatus Act would constrain any military role, and other statutory authorities that may be used for the military enforcement of health measures.
- International Reaction to the Palestinian Unity Government
- This report discusses the new Palestinian unity government, which established in March 2007 complicates U.S. policy toward the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the peace process.