Congressional Research Service Reports - 144 Matching Results
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- "Disadvantaged" Small Businesses: Definitions and Designations for Purposes of Federal and Federally Funded Contracting Programs
- This report discusses what constitutes a "disadvantaged" small business for purposes of federal and federally funded contracting programs and how firms are certified or otherwise designated as such.
- Small Business Size Standards: A Historical Analysis of Contemporary Issues
- This report provides a historical examination of the Small Business Administration's SBA size standards, and assesses competing views concerning how to define a small business. It also discusses H.R. 585, the Small Business Size Standard Flexibility Act of 2011, which would have authorized 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 standards.
- Privileged Business on the House Floor
- This report discusses privileged business, which relates to the order or priority of business before the House and is defined in House rules and precedents as business that has precedence over the regular order of business.
- Small Business Administration and Job Creation
- The Small Business Administration (SBA) administers several programs to support small businesses, including loan guaranty programs, disaster loan programs, management and technical assistance training programs, and federal contracting programs. Congressional interest in these programs has increased in recent years, primarily because they are viewed as a means to stimulate economic activity, create jobs, and assist in the national economic recovery. This report examines the economic research on net job creation to identify the types of businesses that appear to create the most jobs.
- SBA Office of the National Ombudsman: Overview, History, and Current Issues
- This report examines the Office of the National Ombudsman's origin and history; describes its organizational structure, funding, functions, and current activities; and discusses a recent legislative effort to enhance its authority. S. 1146, the Small Business Regulatory Relief Act of 2017. This report also discusses some challenges facing the Office of the National Ombudsman.
- Small Business Administration and Job Creation
- The Small Business Administration (SBA) administers several programs to support small businesses, including loan guaranty programs; disaster loan programs; management and technical assistance training programs; and federal contracting programs. Congressional interest in these programs has increased in recent years, primarily because they are viewed as a means to stimulate economic activity, create jobs, and assist in the national economic recovery. This report examines the economic research on net job creation to identify the types of businesses that appear to create the most jobs.
- The Role of Trade Secrets in Innovation Policy
- This report provides an overview of the law and policy of trade secrets. It discusses the role of trade secrets in six sections: Trade Secrets and Innovation Policy, An Overview of Trade Secret Law (Basic Principles, and Sources of Law), The Economic Espionage Act, Trade Secrets and Patents (Introduction to the Patent System, Trade Secrets and Patents Compared, and The Prior Commercial User Defense), Congressional Issues and Options, and Concluding Observations.
- The Small Business Lending Fund
- This report discusses the Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF). The report concludes with an examination of the program's implementation and a discussion of bills introduced during recent Congresses to amend the SBLF.
- Should Banking Powers Expand into Real Estate Brokerage and Management?
- No Description Available.
- Disadvantaged Businesses: A Review of Federal Assistance
- It is the policy of the federal government to encourage the development of small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs) owned by minorities and women. SDBs are statutorily defined as small businesses that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias and who have limited capital and credit opportunities. This report presents an overview of the major federal programs now in existence and indicates where interested persons can obtain further information about specific programs.
- Using Business Tax Cuts to Stimulate the Economy
- This report discusses issues associated with the use of business tax subsidies. First, is fiscal policy appropriate? Second, how successful are subsidies likely to be and what form might they take to be most effective? Finally, what other consequences might flow from the use of business tax subsidies, especially if they are to be permanent?
- Using Business Tax Cuts to Stimulate the Economy
- No Description Available.
- The Senate's Calendar of Business
- This report provides a summary of the contents of the Senate's Calendar of Business, which lists bills, resolutions, and other items of legislative business that are eligible for floor consideration.
- Business Investment and Employment Tax Incentives to Stimulate the Economy
- This report consists of business investment and employment tax incentives to stimulate the economy.
- The Advanced Technology Program
- President Bush's FY2008 budget request did not include financing for ATP. The FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, P.L. 110-161, replaces ATP with the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and provides $65.2 million (with an additional $5 million in ATP FY2007 unobligated balances), 17.6% less than the previous fiscal year. P.L. 110- 69, the America COMPETES Act, authorized the creation of TIP.
- Small Business Administration: A Primer on Programs
- No Description Available.
- Federal Contracting and Subcontracting with Small Businesses: Issues in the 112th Congress
- This report describes and analyzes measures that Members of the 112th Congress have enacted or proposed in response to particular issues pertaining to small business contracting and subcontracting.
- Legal Protections for Subcontractors on Federal Prime Contracts
- 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.
- ANWR Development: Economic Impacts
- This report includes Economic impacts of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Development.
- Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy: The CAFE Standards
- This report discusses the CAFE Standards of Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy.
- “Boutique Fuels” and Reformulated Gasoline: Harmonization of Fuel Standards
- This report discusses how gasoline composition is regulated,explains various federal and state gasoline standards,presents some of the key issues with federal RFG program and some of the problems associated with the boutique fuels issue and the potential effects of harmonization.Finally discusses the bills in the 108th Congress related to boutique fuels,RFG and harmonization.
- Border Environment Cooperation Commission and North American Development Bank : Background and Issues
- This report presents Background and Issues of Border Environment Cooperation Commission and North American Development Bank.
- Appropriations for the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service in FY2006: Issues for Congress
- This report examines the President's budget request for Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service(IRS) in FY2006, some of the key policy issues it raised, and congressional action on the request.
- Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program: An Overview
- This report provides a brief overview of The Hollings Manufacturing Partnership (MEP), which is a program of regional centers set up to assist small and medium-sized manufacturing companies use knowledge and technologies developed under the auspices of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
- Globalized Supply Chains and U.S. Policy
- This report discusses the challenges and opportunities raised by the globalized world of business, in which production becomes fragmented into discrete activities that can be spread geographically within and across national borders while remaining integrated organizationally within a multinational company or network of companies. Such globalized production networks are called supply chains or value-added networks.
- Immigration: The Effects on Low-Skilled and High-Skilled Native-Born Workers
- This report opens with a discussion of how to analyze the impact of immigrants on the pay and job opportunities of native-born workers. It then uses this framework to examine and interpret the empirical literature on the subject. The report concludes with a discussion of policy implications.
- The Current Economic Recession: How Long, How Deep, and How Different From the Past?
- This report examines the current recession and recessions of the previous three decades in detail. It gives a brief overview of the other post-war recessions. It outlines the fiscal and monetary policy response to each recession. It also looks at theories of why recessions occur. The report concludes by asking the question that many commentators in the news have asked recently: is this recession different from the past?
- Dairy Policy Issues
- Several dairy issues that were debated during the 108th Congress are expected to continue as issues of interest in the 109th Congress. Separate bills were introduced in the 108th Congress to extend authority for both the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program and the dairy forward pricing pilot program, and to address dairy producer concerns about the importation of milk protein concentrates.
- Should Federal Law Restrict Where a Company May File Bankruptcy?
- This report discusses laws and regulations regarding where a company may file for bankruptcy and a recently proposed bill which would restrict the locations where companies could file for bankruptcy.
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): Manufacturing Trends
- Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) represent a bright spot for the technology-intensive aerospace manufacturing sector, but military and civil government agencies will likely be the predominant customers for an extended period while such systems are integrated into the U.S. National Airspace System ("national airspace"). This report discusses the market for UAS in 2013 and briefly discusses UAS manufacturers.
- Stealing Trade Secrets and Economic Espionage: An Overview of 18 U.S.C. 1831 and 1832
- This report gives an overview of two federal crimes: theft of trade secrets and economic espionage. The report explains both types of offenses and their consequences.
- Current Issues in Patentable Subject Matter: Business Methods, Tax Planning Methods, and Genetic Materials
- This report provides information about the Current Issues in Patentable Subject Matter and its Business Methods, Tax Planning Methods, and Genetic Materials. The patent statute currently provides that patent can be obtained on any invention that is a process, the machine, etc.
- Estate Taxes and Family Businesses: Economic Issues
- The report discusses an uncapped exemption and an uncapped exemption targeted at liquidity issues.
- Estate Taxes and Family Businesses: Economic Issues
- The report discusses an uncapped exemption and an uncapped exemption targeted at liquidity issues.
- The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy
- 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.
- Merger and Antitrust Issues in Agriculture
- A sustained period of low farm prices has generated legislative interest in the effect of concentration and consolidation on U.S. agriculture. Questions have been raised about the federal government's role in pursuing cases of unfair competition or violations of antitrust laws. Legislative interest has risen because, while regulations target business practices, important issues associated with concentration and consolidation may not be adequately addressed by existing antitrust laws. Recent reviews by Congress have dealt with issues such as: (1) the adequacy and employment of existing federal antitrust statutes to protect farmers against anti-competitive practices; (2) the extent to which mergers influence farm prices and their impact on farmers and consumers, and (3) the appropriate role of the federal government in regulating agroindustry. This report briefly describes the federal statutes and agencies involved in antitrust regulation and reviews proposals offered in the 106th Congress to restrict mergers in agriculture.
- Defense Industry in Transition: Issues and Options for Congress
- The U.S. government and the defense industry continued to adjust to the post-Cold War era. Complicating the transition was the restructuring of the U.S. and other industrialized economies, and questions concerning the future direction of U.S. defense policy. The 104th Congress grappled with how to ensure that the U.S. retained a smaller, but capable, defense industry.
- Responsibility Determinations Under the Federal Acquisition Regulation: Legal Standards and Procedures
- This report discusses the standards and procedures that federal agencies use in making responsibility determinations under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). It discusses (1) how responsibility determinations relate to other mechanisms that the government relies upon to ensure that contractors are responsible and otherwise eligible for federal contracts; (2) the performance-related and collateral standards used in making responsibility determinations; (3) the procedures for making responsibility determinations; and (4) recently enacted or proposed amendments to the standards or procedures for responsibility determinations.
- Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Its Role in U.S. Trade Policy
- This report discusses the role of TAA in U.S. trade policy, from its inception as a legislative option in the early 1950s, to its core roles as a cornerstone of modern trade policy that many argue has served to promote the long-term U.S. trade liberalization agenda.
- Trade Remedy Legislation: Applying Countervailing Action to Nonmarket Economy Countries
- This report contains the trade remedy legislation on applying countervailing action to nonmarket economy countries.
- Electronic Signatures: Technology Developments and Legislative Issues
- Electronic signatures, a means of verifying the identity of the user of a computer system to control access or authorize a transaction, are increasingly being used in electronic commerce. Several technologies can be used to produce electronic signatures, the most prominent being digital signatures, which use cryptographic techniques to provide data integrity and nonrepudiation. Legislation enacted in the 106th Congress enables the legal recognition of electronic signatures in interstate commerce. Other legislation introduced but not enacted was intended to promote federal agency use of electronic signatures to enable electronic filing of information.
- Merger and Antitrust Issues in Agriculture: Statutes and Agencies
- No Description Available.
- Firms That Incorporate Abroad for Tax Purposes: Corporate "Inversions" and "Expatriation"
- This report provides information about the Corporate "Inversions" and "Expatriation" on Firms That Incorporate Abroad for Tax Purposes where increasing number of U.S firms have altered their structure by substituting a foreign parent corporation for a domestic one.
- Mergers: Background and Current Issues
- No Description Available.
- Energy Efficiency: Budget, Oil Conservation, and Electricity Conservation Issues
- This report includes information related to energy efficiency, including history, various bills and budgets, and conservation. Climate change and energy security related to energy efficiency are also discussed in this report.
- Codes of Conduct for Multinational Corporations: An Overview
- This report discusses The U.S. economy is growing increasingly interconnected with other economies around the world, a phenomenon often referred to as globalization. As U.S. businesses expand globally, however, various groups across the social and economic spectrum are growing concerned over the economic, social, and political impact of this activity. Over the past 15 years, multinational corporations and nations have adopted voluntary, legally enforceable, and industry-specific codes of conduct to address many of these concerns. This report provides background on the issue and briefly examines options for Congress to address it.
- Small Business Administration Microloan Program
- This report discusses the Small Business Administration's (SBA) microloan program. It describes the Microloan program's eligibility standards and operating requirements for lenders and borrowers and examines the arguments presented by the program's critics and advocates. It also examines changes to the program authorized by P.L. 111-240, the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 and several bills introduced during the 114th and 115th Congresses.
- Economic Downturns and Crime
- This report examines the relationships between selected variables of economic strength and crime. It begins with an overview of crime rates during times of economic recession in the United States. It then reviews the existing literature in the field analyzing various data sets that examine whether the unemployment rate and foreclosures can be related to increases in the national crime rate.
- Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms: Economic, Program, and Policy Issues
- This report discusses the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs, which were authorized by Congress in the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to help workers and firms adjust to import competition and dislocation caused by trade liberalization. It provides information about TAAF program and policy issues, as well as legislation to reauthorize the TAAF program.
- International Corporate Tax Rate Comparisons and Policy Implications
- This report focuses on the global issues relating to tax rate differentials between the United States and other countries. It provides tax rate comparisons; discusses policy implications, including the effect of a corporate rate cut on revenue, output, and national welfare; and discusses the outlook for and consequences of a revenue neutral corporate tax reform.