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- Unauthorized Alien Students, Higher Education, and In-State Tuition Rates: A Legal Analysis
- This report provides a legal overview of cases involving immigrant access to higher education, as well as an analysis of the legality of state laws that make in-state tuition rates available to illegal aliens.
- Yemen: Background and U.S. Relations
- This report provides an overview and analysis of U.S.-Yemeni relations amidst evolving political change in Yemeni leadership, ongoing U.S. counterterrorism operations against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives at large in Yemen's hinterlands, and international efforts to bolster the country's stability despite an array of daunting socio-economic problems.
- CRS Issue Statement on Civil Rights and Discrimination
- This report discusses about civil right statues as well as several constitutional provisions. It also points out about different types of discrimination.
- CRS Issue Statement on Health Care Reform
- Interests in health care reform are driven by growing concern about several widely discussed problems, most especially health insurance coverage, health care costs, and patients' access to quality care.
- CRS Issue Statement on Housing for LowIncome Individuals and Families
- This report contains a Congressional Service Report (CRS) Issue statements on housing for low income individuals and families.
- The Design and Implementation of Patent Revocation Proceedings: Innovation Issues
- This report contains an overview of the innovation issues of the design and implementation of patent revocation proceedings.
- Earthquakes: Risk, Detection, Warning, and Research
- This report discusses earthquake hazards and risk in the United States, federal programs that support earthquake monitoring, the U.S. capability to detect earthquakes and issue notifications and warnings, and federally-supported research to improve the fundamental scientific understanding of earthquakes with a goal of reducing U.S. vulnerability.
- The Future of NASA: Space Policy Issues Facing Congress
- This report analyzes questions regarding space policy challenges and gives some possible answers. It also addresses a number of cross-cutting issues, such as NASA's (the National Aeronautics and Space Agency's) interactions with other federal agencies and the growing role of the commercial space industry.
- Health Insurance Coverage of People Aged 55 to 64: Implications for a Medicare Buy-In
- This report shows that the near elderly are significantly more likely than other nonaged adults to be in fair or poor health, and to have had a heart attack or stroke.
- Job Creation Programs of the Great Depression: the WPA and the CCC
- This report first describes the social policy environment in which the 1930s job creation programs were developed and examines the reasons for their shortcomings then and as models for current-day countercyclical employment measures. It then provides a brief overview of the two job creation programs of the Depression-era that Members of Congress have asked about most frequently: the Works Progress or Projects Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
- Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons
- This report provides basic information about U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons. It begins with a brief discussion of the differences between strategic and nonstrategic nuclear weapons. It then provides some historical background, describing the numbers and types of nonstrategic nuclear weapons deployed by both nations during the Cold War and in the past decade; the policies that guided the deployment and prospective use of these weapons; and the measures that the two sides have taken to reduce, eliminate, and, more recently, augment their forces.
- Senate Committee Rules in the 111th Congress: A Comparison of Key Provisions
- No Description Available.
- CRS Issue Statement on Disability Benefits
- This report discusses about the Federal disability benefit programs that are primarily intended to provide a measure of income security to persons with disabilities by replacing some of the income lost due to their inability to work.
- CRS Issue Statement on Intellectual Property Rights
- This report contains intellectual property rights and different law such as: Patent Law, copyright law, and International IPR Protection.
- CRS Issue Statement on Intelligence Policy
- This report contains the distinction between foreign and law enforcement intelligence that remain important when civil liberties and privacy rights of U.S. persons are involved.
- CRS Issue Statement on Medicare Reform
- This report discusses about medicare and its spending that has been growing much faster than the general economy. It further discusses about congress's consideration on change on medicare expenditure by reducing provider payment.
- CRS Issue Statement on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations
- The closing, reduction in scope, or expansion of military installations on domestic soil and overseas, the privatization of government-built military housing, the provision of benefits and medical care to eligible veterans, and the redeployment of military units to the United States from overseas garrisons have drawn congressional attention in recent sessions. The funds to support all of these activities are provided by the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act debated annually in both chambers.
- CRS Issue Statement on Southeast Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands
- This report discusses significant policy challenges that congress faces in the region including assessing and responding to China's growing influence, promoting democracy and human rights, fighting terrorism and promoting trade.
- Haiti Earthquake: Crisis and Response
- This report discusses the Haiti earthquake disaster and various responses, ranging from the Haitian government's initial response to foreign humanitarian and financial aid.
- Hate Crime Legislation
- This report provides an overview of the hate crime debate, with background on current law and hate crime statistics, and a legislative history of hate crime prevention bills in recent Congresses. This report does not analyze the constitutional or other legal issues that often arise as part of the hate crime debate.
- Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks
- This report provides an overview of Iraq's political transition from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to a plural polity that encompasses varying sects and ideological and political factions. This report also addresses ongoing governmental instabilities and their causes, as well as U.S. concerns about possible Iranian influence in Iraq as U.S. forces depart the country.
- Major Decisions in the House and Senate on Social Security: 1935-2009
- No Description Available.
- The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)--Responsibilities and Potential Congressional Concerns
- This report looks at inadequacies present in the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) which prevent the Center from adequately performing its duty. These inadequacies include issues with agency organization, lack of resources, and a focus on threats from Yemen over domestic threats.
- NATO Enlargement: Senate Advice and Consent
- This report describes the provisions of the North Atlantic Treaty and of the original Senate debate in 1949 pertinent to enlargement and the procedures that have been followed for each subsequent enlargement proposal. It also discusses what the Senate did with respect to the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the implications of that event for Germany's membership in NATO.
- 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.
- Older Displaced Workers in the Context of an Aging and Slowly Growing Population
- This report analyzes the labor market experiences of those older workers who have involuntarily lost long-held jobs for reasons unrelated to their own performance (e.g., veteran factory workers at plants closed because of import competition, experienced information technology workers whose jobs have been outsourced to workers in other countries, and mid-level managers in positions eliminated through corporate restructuring). It examines current policies targeted at the reemployment of older displaced workers which, if successful, might lengthen their stay in the workforce.
- Research and Development (R&D) to Enhance Homeland Security: CRS Experts
- This report includes a table which provides access to names and contact information for CRS experts on policy concerns relating to research and development (R&D) to enhance homeland security.
- Social Security: Calculation and History of Taxing Benefits
- No Description Available.
- U.S. Immigration Policy on Haitian Migrants
- This report discusses whether the balance should tip more toward humanitarian immigration policies as a consequence of the humanitarian crises that resulted from the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
- The Department of Defense's Use of Private Security Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan: Background, Analysis, and Options for Congress
- This report examines current private security contractor (PSC) trends in Iraq and Afghanistan, steps Department of Defense (DOD) has taken to improve oversight and management, and the extent to which DOD has incorporated the role of security contractors into its doctrine and strategy. It also reviews steps Congress has taken to exercise oversight over the use of PSCs and includes options for Congress.
- Displacing Coal with Generation from Existing Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants
- This report provides an overview of the issues involved in displacing coal-fired generation with electricity from existing and underutilized natural gas plants in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants is a focus of many proposals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
- Executive Order 13438: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq
- This report provides a brief history of the development of presidential powers in peacetime. It discusses some of the issues that might be raised in light of the contrast between the executive order's broad language and its narrow aim. It examines the reach of the executive order and provides legal analyses of some of the constitutional questions raised in the courts by similar sanctions programs.
- The Farm Price-Cost Squeeze and U.S. Farm Policy
- This report discusses the current farm price-cost squeeze, how it varies across commodities, and the factors behind the current situation. The report also considers the cyclical nature of agricultural markets, effects on producers, and the government's role in addressing the situation.
- Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments
- This report discusses the strategic significance of Guam for defense buildup and the force relocation and deployments from the U.S. mainland. It also discusses the concerns and issues for congress, such as allies and partner, China, and legislation.
- The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Overview, Reauthorization, and Appropriations Issues
- This report provides an overview of nanotechnology, the National Nanotechnology Initiative, possible reauthorization of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-153), and appropriations issues.
- Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues
- This report is a brief overview of current policies regarding temporary protected status (TPS), which is relief from removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It includes information about humanitarian migrants, temporary protected status, other blanket forms of relief, nationalities receiving protections, and issues with TPS, as well as recent legislation.
- The U.S. Postal Service's Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS's) financial condition, recent legislation to alleviate the USPS's financial challenges, and possible issues for the 111th Congress.
- Underwithholding of Income Taxes and the Making Work Pay Tax Credit
- This report describes how some taxpayers might be affected and which taxpayer groups might have their income tax under withheld.
- Beginning and End of the Terms of United States Senators Chosen to Fill Senate Vacancies
- Under the Constitution, the Rules of the Senate, statutory law, and consistent Senate practices, an individual elected to the United States Senate during a session of Congress to succeed an appointed Senator may begin his or her term of office upon receipt by the Senate of "credentials" in proper form from the state, and by taking the constitutionally required oath of office in open Senate session. The appointed Senator who is being succeeded remains in the office until the new "Senator-elect" is qualified (i.e. is sworn in and seated as a "Senator" by the Senate). This report details the formal and informal rules in such cases.
- Conducting Foreign Relations Without Authority: The Logan Act
- This report discusses the Logan Act, which was intended to prohibit United States citizens without authority from interfering in relations between the United States and foreign governments.
- Constitutionality of Excluding Aliens from the Census for Apportionment and Redistricting Purposes
- This report provides an overview of the 2010 decennial census, and the Census Bureau that will attempt to count the total population of the United States. It discusses the possibility by some that have suggested excluding aliens, particularly those who are in the country unlawfully, from the census count, in part so that they would not be included in the data used to apportion House seats among the states and determine voting districts within them.
- CRS Issue Statement on Freedom of Speech
- This report discusses about legislative goals for campaign finance reform. It further discusses about Political Speech, Mass Media and Communications and other issues.
- Emergency Funding for Agriculture: A Brief History of Supplemental Appropriations, FY1989-FY2009
- This report provides a table which lists supplemental appropriations for Agriculture. From FY1989 through FY2009, 39 appropriations, authorization, or farm disaster acts added approximately $68.7 billion in supplemental funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs (excluding the Forest Service, which is funded annually under the Interior appropriations bill). Approximately $50.2 billion, or just under three-fourths of the total amount, was provided within the last 10 years.
- Federal Employees: Pay and Pension Increases Since 1969
- Under the terms of the Federal Employees' Pay Comparability Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-509), pay for civilian federal employees is adjusted each year to keep the salaries of federal workers competitive with comparable occupations in the private sector. The annual increases in federal employee pay are based on changes in the cash compensation paid to workers in the private sector, as measured by the ECI. Under certain circumstances, the President may limit the annual increase in federal pay by executive order. Federal law also requires Social Security benefits and the pensions paid to retired federal employees to be adjusted each year. The COLAs for both Social Security and civil service pensions are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the CPI.
- Globalization, Worker Insecurity, and Policy Approaches
- This report discusses the trends driving global economic integration, sources of worker insecurity and policy approaches. There appears to be a range of views on the merits of each of these policy approaches and the extent to which they can be designed and implemented in a way that would reduce worker insecurity without undermining the benefits of globalization.
- Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Provisions in H.R. 3590, as Passed by the Senate
- No Description Available.
- Oman: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy
- This report describes the relationship between the United States and the Sultanate of Oman, especially with respect to Oman's support of U.S. efforts toward peace in the Middle East, the U.S. free trade agreement with Oman, and Oman's relatively close relations with Iran, the last of which seems incongruous with the other positive aspects of Oman's relationship with the U.S.
- Privacy Law and Online Advertising
- This report will examine the application of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Communications Act to online behavioral advertising in more detail. It is likely that in many cases these laws could be held to apply to such activities and that these methods of data collection would be forbidden unless consent is obtained from one of the parties to the communication.
- The Rum Excise Tax Cover-Over: Legislative History and Current Issues
- This report provides a history and analysis of the rum cover-over program and current legislative efforts to modify the program. The congressional debate on this legislation could also lead to debate on the broader issue of the cover-over program more generally.
- A Separate Consumer Price Index for the Elderly?
- No Description Available.