Congressional Research Service Reports - 83 Matching Results

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Memorials: Creating National, State, and Local Memorials

Description: This report provides information on the mandatory steps to building a memorial on federal property in the District of Columbia. It also provides information on creating memorials in Arlington National Cemetery, within the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery System, and in state veterans' cemeteries. In addition, it discusses public and private initiatives at the state and local levels to create memorials including successful local fund-raising efforts.
Date: May 21, 2008
Creator: Watkins, Zina L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Regulation of Energy Derivatives

Description: After the collapse of Enron Corp. in late 2001, that company's activities came under intense scrutiny. Much of its business consisted of trading financial contracts whose value was derived from changes in energy prices. Enron's derivatives trading was largely "over-the-counter" (OTC) and unregulated: little information about transactions was available. This incident has sparked interest in reform of energy derivatives regulation. This report summarizes energy derivatives regulation and proposed… more
Date: May 12, 2008
Creator: Jickling, Mark
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Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs): An Institutional Overview

Description: Congress chartered government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) to improve the workings of credit markets. This report briefly describes the nature of GSEs, their mixed governmental-private nature, the differences between GSEs and government agencies, and the arguments for and against GSEs.
Date: September 9, 2008
Creator: Kosar, Kevin R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Outsourcing and Insourcing Jobs in the U.S. Economy: An Overview of Evidence Based on Foreign Investment Data

Description: Foreign direct investment is sparking a national debate. Local communities compete for investment projects, while many of the residents of those communities fear losing their jobs to foreign outsourcing. Some opponents argue that such job losses have disproportionately negative impact on local communities. Economists generally argue that free and unimpeded international capital flows have a positive impact on both domestic and foreign economies. This report provides an overview of CRS Report RL… more
Date: May 13, 2008
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Price Gouging," the Antitrust Laws, and Vertical Integration in the Petroleum Industry: How They Are Related

Description: This report, which may be updated to further reflect congressional action, attempts to provide the antitrust context for prohibited practices, such as "price gouging"; notes prior congressional action concerning vertical divestiture in the petroleum industry; and provides information on the state "divorcement" statutes.
Date: May 28, 2008
Creator: Rubin, Janice E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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General Services Administration Prospectus Thresholds for Owned and Leased Federal Facilities

Description: The General Services Administration (GSA) oversees GSA-owned and -leased federal buildings and courthouses. This report provides an overview of the funding for GSA, GSA procedures, and related legislation, especially in light of recent disasters, i.e., hurricanes, flooding, etc.
Date: August 20, 2008
Creator: Wellborn, Clay H.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Pattern of Interest Rates: Does it Signal an Impending Recession?

Description: The cyclical behavior of the economy is of great interest to Congress, yet the onset of an economic downturn is seldom recognized promptly. Policymakers frequently search for reliable recession predictors. The behavior of interest rates may provide advanced warning of an impending downturn. The easing of monetary policy in evidence since September 2007 is consistent with efforts to forestall or minimize an economic downturn. Economic growth has been low since the last quarter of 2007, and some … more
Date: May 5, 2008
Creator: Labonte, Marc & Makinen, Gail
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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DOD Leases of Foreign-Built Ships: Background for Congress

Description: The Department of Defense (DOD) in recent years has leased some foreign-built cargo ships for total periods, including options and renewals, of almost 10 years - a length of time that some observers argue effectively circumvents a legal requirement that U.S. military ships be built in U.S. shipyards. These observers, particularly the American Shipbuilding Association (ASA), have proposed reducing the current five-year legal limit on ship leases to two years for foreign-built ships. DOD has oppo… more
Date: May 22, 2008
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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DOD Leases of Foreign-Built Ships: Background for Congress

Description: The Department of Defense (DOD) in recent years has leased some foreign-built cargo ships for total periods, including options and renewals, of almost 10 years - a length of time that some observers argue effectively circumvents a legal requirement that U.S. military ships be built in U.S. shipyards. These observers, particularly the American Shipbuilding Association (ASA), have proposed reducing the current five-year legal limit on ship leases to two years for foreign-built ships. DOD has oppo… more
Date: October 3, 2008
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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DOD Leases of Foreign-Built Ships: Background for Congress

Description: The Department of Defense (DOD) in recent years has leased some foreign-built cargo ships for total periods, including options and renewals, of almost 10 years - a length of time that some observers argue effectively circumvents a legal requirement that U.S. military ships be built in U.S. shipyards. These observers, particularly the American Shipbuilding Association (ASA), have proposed reducing the current five-year legal limit on ship leases to two years for foreign-built ships. DOD has oppo… more
Date: October 31, 2008
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview

Description: China is a major source of U.S. imports of consumer products (such as toys) and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of unsafe seafood, pet food, toys, tires, and other products imported from China over the past year or so have raised concern in the United States over the health, safety, and quality of imported Chinese products. This report provides an overview of this issue and implications for U.S.-China trade relations.
Date: May 8, 2008
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bisphenol A (BPA) in Plastics and Possible Human Health Effects

Description: Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to produce certain types of plastic. Containers made of these plastics may expose people to small amounts of BPA in food and water. Some animal experiments have found that fetal and infant development may be harmed by small amounts of BPA, but scientists disagree about the value of the animal studies for predicting harmful effects in people. This report discusses this issue and relevant legislation, as well as inquiries into studies currently underway to determine the … more
Date: July 23, 2008
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo & Lister, Sarah A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bisphenol A (BPA) in Plastics and Possible Human Health Effects

Description: Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to produce certain types of plastic. Containers made of these plastics may expose people to small amounts of BPA in food and water. Some animal experiments have found that fetal and infant development may be harmed by small amounts of BPA, but scientists disagree about the value of the animal studies for predicting harmful effects in people. This report discusses this issue and relevant legislation, as well as inquiries into studies currently underway to determine the … more
Date: June 30, 2008
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo & Lister, Sarah A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bisphenol A (BPA) in Plastics and Possible Human Health Effects

Description: Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to produce certain types of plastic. Containers made of these plastics may expose people to small amounts of BPA in food and water. Some animal experiments have found that fetal and infant development may be harmed by small amounts of BPA, but scientists disagree about the value of the animal studies for predicting harmful effects in people. This report discusses this issue and relevant legislation, as well as inquiries into studies currently underway to determine the … more
Date: September 8, 2008
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo & Lister, Sarah A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Livestock Feed Costs: Concerns and Options

Description: Sharply higher feed costs, fueled by competing use demands for corn and soybeans and by rising energy prices, are affecting the beef, pork, dairy, and poultry industries. In contrast, wholesales prices for most animal products have held steady. Some analysts argue that current public policies, including financial incentives that divert corn from feed uses into ethanol production, have exacerbated if not caused these higher costs. Other factors include crop production declines due to weather, an… more
Date: June 30, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Enron Loophole

Description: The Commodity Exchange Act exempts certain energy derivatives contracts from regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). These exemptions are popularly known as the "Enron loophole." Soaring energy prices have raised concerns about whether the CFTC has enough information about these unregulated markets to monitor energy trading in a comprehensive manner. A number of other bills in the 110th Congress would impose new reporting or regulatory requirements on the bilateral energy… more
Date: July 7, 2008
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Primer on Energy Derivatives and Their Regulation

Description: Prices of oil and other energy commodities are set in futures and derivatives markets, where producers, commercial users, and financial speculators buy and sell contracts whose value is linked to the price of the underlying commodity. Trading occurs on regulated futures exchanges and in a largely unregulated over-the-counter (OTC) market; both forms of trading are global in scope. This report presents basic information about these markets, the instruments traded, the regulatory framework, specu… more
Date: July 15, 2008
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Merger Review Authority of the Federal Communications Commission

Description: This report will explain the merger review process at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission). Whenever companies holding licenses issued by the FCC wish to merge, the merging entities must obtain approval from two federal agencies: the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FCC. The Commission and the DOJ do not follow precisely the same process or reasoning when examining the potential effects of proposed mergers. The Act permits the Commission to grant the transfer only if the… more
Date: August 20, 2008
Creator: Ruane, Kathleen Ann
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Resolution Trust Corporation: Historical Analysis

Description: In a 1989 legislative response to financial troubles in the thrift industry, the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA, P.L. 101-73) was enacted. FIRREA's principal mission was to conduct a partially tax-payer funded program to address the troubles of the nation's many insolvent thrifts. To do so, it established a new entity, the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), whose mission was to address troubled thrifts by arranging their sale to other institutions … more
Date: September 26, 2008
Creator: Shorter, Gary
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Market Intervention

Description: Financial markets continue to experience significant disturbance and the banking sector remains fragile. Efforts to restore confidence have been met with mixed success thus far. After attempting to deal with troubled institutions on a case-by-case basis, Treasury has proposed a plan to purchase mortgage-related assets to alleviate stress in financial markets and in the banking system. This report provides answers to some frequently asked questions concerning the financial disruptions of Septemb… more
Date: September 29, 2008
Creator: Murphy, Edward V.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Global Financial Crisis: The Role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Description: This report discusses two potential roles the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may have in helping to resolve the current global financial crisis: (1) immediate crisis control through balance of payments lending to emerging market and less-developed countries and (2) increased surveillance of the global economy through better coordination with the international financial regulatory agencies.
Date: October 27, 2008
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Global Financial Crisis: The Role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Description: This report discusses two potential roles the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may have in helping to resolve the current global financial crisis: (1) immediate crisis control through balance of payments lending to emerging market and less-developed countries and (2) increased surveillance of the global economy through better coordination with the international financial regulatory agencies.
Date: October 30, 2008
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Debarment and Suspension of Government Contractors: An Overview of the Law Including Recently Enacted and Proposed Amendments

Description: The amount spent on government contracts, coupled with widely reported contractors misconduct, has generated congressional interest in debarment and suspension. The 110th Congress enacted several bills addressing debarment and suspension, including the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, and several others, all of which are detailed in this report.
Date: November 19, 2008
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Advanced Technology Program

Description: 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.
Date: January 7, 2008
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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