Congressional Research Service Reports - 35 Matching Results

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Small Business Management and Technical Assistance Training Programs

Description: This report examines small business startups' experiences with the Small Business Administration's (SBA's) management and technical assistance training programs -- focusing on Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women Business Centers (WBCs), and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) -- the 7(a), 504/CDC, and Microloan lending programs; and the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) venture capital program.
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

SBA Assistance to Small Business Startups: Client Experiences and Program Impact

Description: This report examines small business startups' experiences with the Small Business Administration's (SBA's) management and technical assistance training programs, focusing on Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women Business Centers (WBCs), and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives); the 7(a), 504/CDC, and Microloan lending programs; and the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) venture capital program.
Date: February 26, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

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, 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.
Date: January 3, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Small Business Management and Technical Assistance Training Programs

Description: This report examines the historical development of federal small business management and technical assistance training programs; describes their current structures, operations, and budgets; and assesses their administration and oversight and the measures used to determine their effectiveness. It also discusses several bills introduced during the 111th and 112th Congresses that would have authorized changes to the SBA's management and technical assistance training programs in an effort to improv… more
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Administration Trade and Export Promotion Programs

Description: This report begins with the history, role, and scope of SBA's export promotion activities, and the creation of OIT. Next, quantitative data from SBA and qualitative data from other sources are used to provide performance analysis of SBA's international programs. This report concludes with a presentation of three issues for consideration during an era where concerns of fiscal responsibility and economic recovery are high priorities for many policy makers.
Date: April 2, 2014
Creator: Lowry, Sean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Role of Trade Secrets in Innovation Policy

Description: 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.
Date: January 15, 2014
Creator: Thomas, John R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Corporate Income Tax System: Overview and Options for Reform

Description: This report presents information and research on the corporate tax to help policy makers understand and evaluate arguments presented in the tax reform debate. This report first reviews the structure of the corporate income tax. Data on which companies pay the corporate tax, corporate tax revenue, and how the U.S. system compares to the rest of the world are then presented and analyzed. Next, the economic effects of the corporate tax are reviewed--including a discussion of the purpose of the cor… more
Date: December 1, 2014
Creator: Keightley, Mark P. & Sherlock, Molly F.
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 discusses the "8(a) Program", the Minority Small Business and Capital Ownership Development Program, which is a federal contracting for small businesses providing small businesses with training, technical assistance, and contracting opportunities.
Date: November 26, 2014
Creator: Manuel, K. M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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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: January 27, 2014
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Selected Recently Expired Business Tax Provisions ("Tax Extenders")

Description: This report briefly summarizes and discusses the economic impact of selected business-related tax provisions that expired at the end of 2013 and that are being considered for extension.
Date: April 30, 2014
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.; Marples, Donald J. & Sherlock, Molly F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bankruptcy for Marijuana Businesses?

Description: This legal sidebar discusses recent bankruptcy court cases that suggest that one such risk may be the ultimate unavailability to both debtors and creditors of the protections, benefits, and predictability of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code when state-regulated marijuana businesses fail.
Date: October 29, 2014
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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State Small Business Credit Initiative: Implementation and Funding Issues

Description: This report examines the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) and its implementation, including Treasury's response to initial program audits conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Treasury's Office of Inspector General (OIG). The SSBCI provides funding, allocated by formula and distributed in one-third increments, to states, territories, and eligible municipalities (hereinafter referred to as states) to expand existing or create new state small business inve… more
Date: October 16, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Independence of Federal Financial Regulators

Description: This report discusses institutional features that make federal financial regulators (as well as other independent agencies) relatively independent from the President and Congress.
Date: February 24, 2014
Creator: Hogue, Henry B.; Labonte, Marc & Webel, Baird
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers

Description: This report discusses the trade adjustment assistance (TAA) program for firms (TAAF). The TAAF program provides technical assistance to trade-affected firms to help them develop strategies and make other adjustments to remain competitive in the changing international economy.
Date: March 26, 2014
Creator: Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Power to Regulate Commerce: Limits on Congressional Power

Description: This report discusses the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, which provides that the Congress shall have the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
Date: May 16, 2014
Creator: Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Corporate Tax Rate Comparisons and Policy Implications

Description: 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.
Date: January 6, 2014
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms: Economic, Program, and Policy Issues

Description: This report discusses the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) program and policy issues, as well as legislation to reauthorize the TAAF program. It provides technical assistance to help trade-impacted firms make strategic adjustments to improve their global competitiveness.
Date: August 4, 2014
Creator: Harrison, Glennon J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Grants Work in a Congressional Office

Description: This report provides information about the Grants Work in a Congressional Office. An internal grant manual is a valuable tool for grants staff to develop. It can also outline office proceedings and policies.
Date: August 14, 2014
Creator: Gerli, Merete F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S. Wine Industry and Selected Trade Issues with the European Union

Description: This report provides an overview of issues pertaining to the U.S. wine industry within ongoing U.S. trade negotiations in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
Date: July 24, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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SBA Veterans Assistance Programs: An Analysis of Contemporary Issues

Description: This report opens with an examination of the current economic circumstances of veteran-owned businesses drawn from the Bureau of the Census 2007 Survey of Business Owners, which was administered in 2008 and 2009, and released on May 17, 2011. It also provides a brief overview of veteran employment experiences, describes the employment assistance programs offered by several federal agencies to assist veterans in their transition from the military to the civilian labor force, and examines related… more
Date: June 5, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert J. & Lowry, Sean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

SBA Veterans Assistance Programs: An Analysis of Contemporary Issues

Description: This report opens with an examination of the current economic circumstances of veteran-owned businesses drawn from the Bureau of the Census 2007 Survey of Business Owners, which was administered in 2008 and 2009, and released on May 17, 2011. It also provides a brief overview of veteran employment experiences, describes the employment assistance programs offered by several federal agencies to assist veterans in their transition from the military to the civilian labor force, and examines related… more
Date: October 23, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert J. & Lowry, Sean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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