Congressional Research Service Reports - 55 Matching Results

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The Posse Comitatus Act and Related Matters: A Sketch

Description: This report examines instances, as approved by Congress, where circumstances warrant a departure from the general rule of the Posse Comitatus Act, wherein the military is typically prevented from direct involvement in civilian affairs.
Date: November 6, 2018
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Missing Adults: Background, Federal Programs, and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses federal efforts to assist local law enforcement in adult missing persons cases. It discusses demographics and record keeping of missing adults and unidentified remains; federally-funded databases that are used to track data on missing adults and unidentified individuals; federal programs and initiatives to assist in locating missing adults, including funding data; and issues regarding the federal role in missing adult cases.
Date: November 30, 2017
Creator: Fernandes-Alcantara, Adrienne L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fibbing to Get a Lawyer: Circuits Split on Punishment

Description: This report discusses differing views held by U.S. appellate courts regarding whether lying about one's assets to pre-trial service personnel in order to get a court-appointed lawyer can be used as a justification to increase the sentence of the offender.
Date: November 27, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Statute of Limitation in Federal Criminal Cases: An Overview

Description: This report describes the rules governing statutes of limitation for federal crimes and provides a list of federal statutes of limitation in criminal cases with a rough chart of comparable state provisions.
Date: November 14, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Why is Violence Rebounding in Mexico?

Description: This report discusses violence in Mexico fueled by organized crime cartels and the rising homicide rate which for 2017 based on preliminary reports will be above 18 per 100,000 persons. The rate in 2016 was 16.2 per 100,000. Various possible causes of the increase in violence discussed are the fragmentation of the Sinaloa Cartel, the increase in heroin trafficking and sales in the U.S., and the removal of major cartel bosses by the Mexican military leading to a power struggle in the organizatio… more
Date: November 8, 2017
Creator: Beittel, June S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Secret Service Protection Mission Funding and Staffing: Fact Sheet

Description: The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) has two broad missions, criminal investigations and protection. The protection mission, which is the focus of this fact sheet, covers the President, Vice President, their families, and candidates for those offices, along with the White House and Vice President's residence, through the Service's Uniformed Division. Protective duties also extend to foreign missions in the District of Columbia and to designated individuals, such as the DHS Secretary and visiting fore… more
Date: November 25, 2014
Creator: Reese, Shawn; Painter, William L. & Nagel, Jared C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Capital Offenses: An Overview of Substantive and Procedural Law

Description: Murder, committed under any of more than 50 jurisdictional circumstances, is a federal capital offense. So are treason, espionage, and certain drug kingpin offenses. The Federal Death Penalty Act and related provisions establish the procedure that must be followed before a defendant convicted of a federal capital offense may be executed. This report is an overview of the law in the area.
Date: November 18, 2014
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Length of Time from Nomination to Confirmation for U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominees: Overview and Policy Options to Shorten the Process

Description: This report seeks to inform the current debate over the nomination and confirmation for U.S. circuit and district court nominees in three ways: first, by providing an overview of the time taken by the Senate during recent presidencies to confirm U.S. circuit and district court nominees; second, by identifying potential consequences of a protracted confirmation process for such nominees; and third, by identifying policy options the Senate might consider to shorten the length of time from nominat… more
Date: November 20, 2013
Creator: McMillion, Barry J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Gun Control Legislation

Description: Report that looks at past gun control legislation and also how recent events (such as the shooting in Tucson, AZ on January 8, 2011 which wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords) have influenced current legislation. This report concludes with discussion of other salient and recurring gun control issues that have generated past congressional interest.
Date: November 14, 2012
Creator: Krouse, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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American Jihadist Terrorism: Combating a Complex Threat

Description: This report describes homegrown violent jihadists and the plots and attacks that have occurred since 9/11. For this report, "homegrown" and "domestic" are terms that describe terrorist activity or plots perpetrated within the United States or abroad by American citizens, legal permanent residents, or visitors radicalized largely within the United States. The report also discusses the radicalization process and the forces driving violent extremist activity. It analyzes post-9/11 domestic jihadis… more
Date: November 15, 2011
Creator: Bjelopera, Jerome P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Gun Control Legislation

Description: This report concludes with discussion of other salient and recurring gun control issues that have generated past congressional interest. Those issues include (1) screening firearms background check applicants against terrorist watch lists, (2) reforming the regulation of federally licensed gun dealers, (3) requiring background checks for private firearms transfers at gun shows, (4) more strictly regulating certain firearms previously defined in statute as "semiautomatic assault weapons," and (5… more
Date: November 7, 2011
Creator: Krouse, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Hate Crime Legislation

Description: 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.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Krouse, William J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Parental Child Abductions

Description: International child custody disputes are likely to increase in frequency as the global society becomes more integrated and mobile. Since 1988, the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction ("Hague Convention" or "Convention") has been the principal mechanism for enforcing the return of abducted children to the United States. This report will discuss the applicability of the Hague Convention and current U.S. laws, both civil and criminal, which seek to address the qu… more
Date: November 22, 2010
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Perjury Under Federal Law: A Brief Overview

Description: 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.
Date: November 5, 2010
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Perjury Under Federal Law: A Sketch of the Elements

Description: 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.
Date: November 5, 2010
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Guantanamo Detention Center: Legislative Activity in the 111th Congress

Description: This report analyzes relevant provisions in enacted legislation and selected pending bills relating to teh U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a facility in which alleged enemy belligerents are detained.
Date: November 4, 2010
Creator: Garcia, Michael John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Comparison of Rights in Military Commission Trials and Trials in Federal Criminal Court

Description: This report provides a brief summary of legal issues raised by the choice of forum for trying accused terrorists and a table comparing selected military commissions rules under the Military Commissions Act, as amended, to the corresponding rules that apply in federal court.
Date: November 19, 2009
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Closing the Guantanamo Detention Center: Legal Issues

Description: This report provides an overview of major legal issues likely to arise as a result of executive and legislative action to close the Guantanamo detention facility. It discusses legal issues related to the transfer of Guantanamo detainees, the continued detention of such persons in the United States, and the possible removal of persons brought into the country. It also discusses selected constitutional issues that may arise in the criminal prosecution of detainees, emphasizing the procedural and … more
Date: November 17, 2009
Creator: Garcia, Michael John; Bazan, Elizabeth B.; Mason, R. Chuck; Liu, Edward C. & Henning, Anna C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Guantanamo Detention Center: Legislative Activity in the 111th Congress

Description: This report analyzes relevant provisions in enacted legislation and selected pending bills relating to the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a facility in which alleged enemy belligerents are detained.
Date: November 6, 2009
Creator: Henning, Anna C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Parental Child Abductions

Description: This report discusses the applicability of the Hague Convention and current U.S. laws, both civil and criminal, which seek to address the quandary of children abducted by a parent to foreign nations.
Date: November 2, 2009
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Compulsory DNA Collection: A Fourth Amendment Analysis

Description: This report examines compulsory DNA collection by law enforcement and its implications in regards to 4th amendment protections by examining legal precedents and considering the contemporary scientific understanding of DNA.
Date: November 26, 2008
Creator: Henning, Anna C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Islamist Militancy in the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Region and U.S. Policy

Description: Increasing militant activity in western Pakistan poses three key national security threats: an increased potential for major attacks against the United States itself; a growing threat to Pakistani stability; and a hindrance of U.S. efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. This report addresses this issue at length. It also describes the recent upsurge of militant activity on the Pakistani side of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, as well as the general political climates of Pakistan and Afghanistan and… more
Date: November 21, 2008
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan & Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The National Response Framework: Overview and Possible Issues for Congress

Description: In response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress and the President consolidated numerous federal emergency plans into the National Response Plan (NRP). This report discusses how national response planning documents have evolved over time and describes the authorities that shape the National Response Framework (NRF). Several issue areas that might be examined for potential lawmaking and oversight concerning the NRF are also highlighted.
Date: November 20, 2008
Creator: Lindsay, Bruce R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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