Congressional Research Service Reports - 51 Matching Results
Search Results
- 21st Century U.S. Energy Sources: A Primer
- This report provides an overview of U.S. energy issues, and suggests related information, data, and CRS contacts. It is mainly organized around the major fuels and energy sources: resources on federal lands, oil, natural gas, electric, coal, nuclear power, and renewable energy.
- Carbon Capture: A Technology Assessment
- This report is a brief summary of what carbon capture and storage (CCS) is, how it is supposed to work, why it has gained the interest and support of some members of Congress, and what some of the challenges are to its implementation and deployment across the United States.
- Child Support Enforcement: Program Basics
- This report provides background information and the elements of the child support enforcement.
- Congressional Action on FY2015 Appropriations Measures
- The congressional appropriations process, which provides discretionary spending for federal government agencies, assumes the annual enactment of 12 regular appropriations bills prior to the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1). One or more continuing resolutions (CRs) may be enacted if all regular appropriations bills are not completed by that time. This report provides information on the budget enforcement framework for the consideration of FY2015 appropriations measures, the status of the FY2015 regular appropriations bills as of the beginning of the fiscal year, and the enactment of FY2015 continuing appropriations.
- Congressional Investigations of the Department of Justice, 1920-2012: History, Law, and Practice
- This report briefly reviews the legal basis for investigative oversight, followed by several prominent examples of congressional oversight that reflect the significant breadth and reach of the legislative investigative prerogative vis-à -vis the Department. The report alos reviews and assess the Department’s contentions, based on policy, common law, and constitutional privilege, that it has asserted to attempt to limit congressional access to agency information.
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and International Trade: Legal Issues
- This report examines the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) role in regulating U.S. imported and exported consumer products. It also examines some of the international obligations that the United States has undertaken with respect to the promulgation of standards-related measures, such as mandatory consumer product safety regulations.
- Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities
- This report is a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report regarding the cost-of-living adjustments for federal civil service annuities.
- The DOD's JEDI Cloud Program
- This report discusses the Deputy Secretary of Defense (DSD) Patrick Shanahan's memorandum calling for the accelerated adoption of a Department of Defense (DOD)-wide cloud computing system. Under the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) Cloud program, DOD seeks to "acquire a...cloud services solution that can support Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret requirements," with a focus on commercially-available services.
- The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 112th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices
- The Endangered Species Act has been one of the more contentious environmental laws. This may stem from its strict substantive provisions, which can affect the use of both federal and nonfederal lands and resources. This report discusses oversight issues and legislation introduced in the 112th Congress to address Endangered Species Act implementation and management of endangered and threatened species.
- EPA and the Army Corps' "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.
- EPA’s Clean Power Plan: Implications for the Electric Power Sector
- This report presents an analysis of EPA's Clean Power Plan in the context of the electric power sector.
- The European Parliament
- The European Parliament (EP) is one of the three key institutions of the European Union (EU), and the only EU institution whose members are directly elected. This report discusses the construction and history of the EP, its role in functions of the EU as well as internationally, various international supports and criticisms of the EP, and the EP's ties with the U.S. Congress.
- The European Union: Questions and Answers
- This report provides a brief overview of the European Union (EU), an economic and political partnership between 27 sovereign member states. The report describes the formation of the EU, the three main institutions of the EU, and the EU's relationship with the United States.
- Funding for EPA Water Infrastructure: A Fact Sheet
- This report provides a table showing budget requests and appropriations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) water infrastructure assistance programs since 1973.
- The G-20 and International Economic Cooperation: Background and Implications for Congress
- This report discusses the G-20, an international forum for discussing and coordinating economic policies among major advanced and emerging economies. Previous summits have, for example, focused on financial regulatory reform, global imbalances, funding for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), voting power of emerging economies in international financial institutions, and fossil fuel subsidies.
- The G-20 Summit: Brisbane, November 15-16, 2014
- This report discusses the G-20 Summit held in Brisbane, Australia. In February 2014, the G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors pledged to develop policies that would boost the G-20's collective GDP by more than two percentage points over the coming five years.
- GI Bills Enacted Prior to 2008 and Related Veterans’ Educational Assistance Programs: A Primer
- This report describes the GI bills enacted prior to 2008 and related Veterans’ Educational assistance programs.
- Guide to Individuals Seated on the House Dais
- This report outlines the members of the House of Representatives who are seated on the dais during meetings in the House chamber of the Capitol.
- Guide to Individuals Seated on the Senate Dais
- This report outlines the members of the Senate who are seated on the dais during meetings in the Senate chamber of the Capitol.
- Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Key Issues
- This report describes the Keystone XL pipeline project, as proposed by TransCanada in its May 4, 2012, Presidential Permit application, and the process and procedures that the State Department is obligated to complete in processing that permit application. It also summarizes issues that arose during the 2008 permit application process, particularly those that may affect the current permit application. This report also summarizes key arguments that have been raised, both for and against the pipeline, by the pipeline’s developers, state and federal agencies, environmental groups, and other stakeholders. Finally, the report reviews the constitutional basis for the State Department’s authority to issue a Presidential Permit, and opponents’ possible challenges to this authority.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
- This report provides data on current Latin American and Caribbean leaders and the date of their last election as well as the next scheduled election.
- Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Legislation in the 113th Congress
- This report discusses legislation that would establish or enhance a statutory minimum term of imprisonment for some federal crimes, including drug offenses, crimes involving firearms, aggravated computer abuse, illegal reentry, and violence against public servants.
- Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Legislation in the 113th Congress
- This report discusses the federal crimes that are usually punishable by a statutory maximum term of imprisonment, for example, "imprisoned for not more than 5 years."
- Methane and Other Air Pollution Issues in Natural Gas Systems
- This report provides information on the natural gas industry and the types of air pollutants in the sector, as well as the role of the federal government in regulating these emissions, such as provisions in the Clean Air Act and other statutes. It concludes with a brief discussion of a number of issues under debate, including 1) defining the roles of industry and local, state, and federal governments; 2) establishing comprehensive emissions data; 3) determining the proper control of pollutants and sources; 4) understanding the human health and environmental impacts of emissions; and 5) estimating the costs of pollution abatement.
- Miscellaneous Tariff Bills: Overview and Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class aircraft carrier program. Congress's decisions on the CVN-78 program could substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the shipbuilding industrial base.
- Navy Virginia (SSN-774) Class Attack Submarine Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) program. Decisions that Congress makes on procurement of Virginia-class boats could substantially affect U.S. Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
- Nigeria: Current Issues and U.S. Policy
- No Description Available.
- Obstruction of Congress: A Brief Overview of Federal Law Relating to Interference with Congressional Activities
- Obstruction of justice is the frustration of governmental purposes by violence, corruption, destruction of evidence, or deceit. It is a federal crime. In fact, federal obstruction of justice laws are legion; too many for even passing reference to all of them in a single report. This is a brief description of those that outlaw interference with congressional activities.
- Obstruction of Congress: An Abridged Overview of Federal Criminal Laws Relating to Interference with Congressional Activities
- This report briefly discusses obstruction of justice, specifically regarding Congressional activities. Obstruction of justice is defined as the frustration of governmental purposes by violence, corruption, destruction of evidence, or deceit. This is an abridged version of CRS Report RL34304, Obstruction of Congress: A Brief Overview of Federal Law Relating to Interference with Congressional Activities, by Charles Doyle, without the footnotes, quotations, or citations to authority found in the longer report.
- Obstruction of Justice: An Abridged Overview of Related Federal Criminal Laws
- This report briefly discusses obstruction of justice, which is defined as the frustration of governmental purposes by violence, corruption, destruction of evidence, or deceit. This is an abridged version of CRS Report RL34304, Obstruction of Justice: An Overview of Some of the Federal Statutes That Prohibit Interference with Judicial, Executive, or Legislative Activities, by Charles Doyle, without the footnotes, quotations, or citations to authority found in the longer report.
- Obstruction of Justice: An Overview of Some of the Federal Statutes That Prohibit Interference with Judicial, Executive, or Legislative Activities
- Obstruction of justice is the frustration of governmental purposes by violence, corruption, destruction of evidence, or deceit. It is a federal crime. In fact, federal obstruction of justice laws are legion; too many for even passing reference to all of them in a single report. This is a brief description of the some of the more prominent.
- Ownership of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and Policy Options for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Party Leaders in the House: Election, Duties, and Responsibilities
- This report summarizes the election, duties, and responsibilities of the Speaker of the House, the majority and minority leaders, and the whips and whip system.
- Perjury Under Federal Law: A Brief Overview
- This report describes perjury under federal law, including a definition as well as in-depth explorations of the three general federal perjury laws. This report is available in abbreviated form - without footnotes, quotations, or citations - as CRS Report 98-807, Perjury Under Federal Law: A Sketch of the Elements.
- Perjury Under Federal Law: A Sketch of the Elements
- This report discusses the three general federal perjury laws. This report is an abbreviated version of CRS Report 98-808, Perjury Under Federal Law: A Brief Overview, by Charles Doyle, stripped of most footnotes, quotations, citations, and bibliography.
- Presidential Disability Under the Twenty-fifth Amendment: Constitutional Provisions and Perspectives for Congress
- This report provides a description and analysis of Sections 3 and 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, which deal with presidential disability or inability. It also reviews the history of presidential disability and earlier proposals to provide for such contingencies, provides a legislative history of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment and examines relevant legislative proposals pending in the 115th Congress.
- Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI)
- In May 2003, President George W. Bush formed the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) to increase international cooperation in interdicting shipments of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials. This report provides background information on the initiative, as well as a general overview and proposed changes and expansions to the initiative.
- Raising the Tax Rates on High-Income Taxpayers: Pros and Cons
- This report focuses on the debate over whether the top two marginal tax rates should be permitted to rise back to their 2001 levels, once the temporary tax provisions known as the "Bush tax cuts" expire on December 31, 2010. The report discusses arguments for and against raising the tax rates.
- Rural Water Supply and Sewer Systems: Background Information
- No Description Available.
- Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues
- Report that discusses Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and legal challenges to it. It reviews legal principles applied to determine the validity of a marriage contracted in another state and surveys the various approaches employed by states to address same-sex marriage. It also examines previous Congressional resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment and limiting federal courts' jurisdiction to hear or determine any question pertaining to the interpretation of DOMA.
- Social Security: Revisiting Benefits for Spouses and Survivors
- This report describes the current-law structure of auxiliary benefits for spouses, divorced spouses and surviving spouses. It also discusses some of the issues concerning the adequacy and equity of the current-law structure of auxiliary benefits, and presents some recent proposals.
- Tax Provisions Expiring in 2013 ("Tax Extenders")
- This report discusses dozens of temporary tax provisions that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2013 under current law. Most of the provisions set to expire in 2013 have been part of past temporary tax extension legislation.
- The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Overview
- This report provides a nontechnical introduction to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The report briefly describes the history of cash assistance and how the "welfare reform" debates led to the creation of TANF; TANF financing; the TANF cash welfare programs and; other TANF benefits, services, and activities.
- The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002: Background and Implementation
- No Description Available.
- U.S. Geological Survey: Background, Appropriations, and Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- U.S. Trade Concepts, Performance, and Policy: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report discusses trade issues relevant to Congress. It is divided into four sections in a question-and-answer format: trade concepts; U.S. trade performance; formulation of U.S. trade policy; and trade and investment issues.
- Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 113th Congress
- This report provides a brief overview of the three unemployment insurance programs--UC, EUC08 (expired), and EB--that may provide benefits to eligible unemployed workers. It contains a brief explanation of how the EUC08 program, as well as some other UC-related payments, began to experience reductions in benefits as a result of the sequester order contained within the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25).
- The Use of Federal Troops for Disaster Assistance: Legal Issues
- This report summarizes the possible constitutional and statutory authorities and constraints relevant to the use of armed forces, including National Guard units in federal service, to provide assistance to states when a natural disaster impedes the operation of state and local police.
- Veterans’ Benefits: Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-154)
- No Description Available.