Congressional Research Service Reports - 895 Matching Results
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- Appropriations for FY2001: Defense
- This report is a guide to one of the thirteen regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittees.
- A Federal Chief Technology Officer in the Obama Administration: Options and Issues for Consideration
- This report presents President Obama's vision for the chief technology officer (CTO) position. It also discusses the potential scope of the position's duties, articulates organizational precedents and challenges for the CTO, reviews some of the activities undertaken by Aneesh Chopra during his tenure as CTO, and identifies issues Congress may choose to consider if it opts to exert oversight or to develop legislation to create the position and/or office of the CTO.
- United States Fire Administration: An Overview
- This report describes and analyzes the Administration's FY2010 budget proposal, as well as related information and legislation. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is currently an entity within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The objective of the USFA is to significantly reduce the nation's loss of life from fire, while also achieving a reduction in property loss and non-fatal injury due to fire.
- What are the Department of Defense (DOD) Policies on Transgender Service?
- This report discusses the Department of Defense's (DOD) policies regarding transgender service. Previously, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Department of Justice would take the position in litigation that the protection of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act extends to an individual's gender identity. Though Title VII does not apply to military personnel, for some, this change in the Administration's position has raised questions about U.S. law and DOD policies.
- United States Fire Administration: An Overview
- This report describes and analyzes the U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA) FY2010 budget proposal, as well as related information and legislation. The (USFA) is currently an entity within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The objective of the USFA is to significantly reduce the nation's loss of life from fire, while also achieving a reduction in property loss and non-fatal injury due to fire.
- United States Fire Administration: An Overview
- This report describes and analyzes the Administration's FY2010 budget proposal, as well as related information and legislation. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is currently an entity within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The objective of the USFA is to significantly reduce the nation's loss of life from fire, while also achieving a reduction in property loss and non-fatal injury due to fire.
- Presidential Advisers' Testimony Before Congressional Committees: An Overview
- This report discusses the executive office of the President, presidential adviser growth, and presidential advisers' testimony.
- 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.
- Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Activities: Authorization and Appropriations
- This report provides an overview of the Corps civil works program. It covers the congressional authorization and appropriation process, the standard project development process, and other Corps activities and authorities.
- Competition in Federal Contracting: An Overview of the Legal Requirements
- This report describes the legal requirements pertaining to competition that presently apply to federal procurement contracts. Among other things, it discusses what contracts are subject to competition requirements; what constitutes full and open competition for government contracts; what is meant by "full and open competition after exclusion of sources"; and circumstances permitting agencies to award contracts on the basis of other than full and open competition.
- United Nations Reform: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report examines reform priorities from the perspective of several key actors, including Members of Congress, the Obama Administration, selected member states, the U.N. Secretary-General, and a cross-section of groups tasked with addressing U.N. reform. It also discusses congressional actions related to U.N. reform and mechanisms for implementing reform, as well as possible challenges facing U.S. policy makers as they consider existing and future U.N. reform efforts.
- Interagency Contracting: An Overview of Federal Procurement and Appropriations Law
- This report provides an overview of the federal procurement and appropriations laws governing interagency contracting. "Interagency contracting" is the term used to describe several procurement relationships between government agencies.
- Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Activities: Authorization and Appropriations
- This report provides an overview of the Corps civil works program. It covers the congressional authorization and appropriation process, the standard project development process, and other Corps activities and authorities.
- Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Activities: Authorization and Appropriations
- This report provides an overview of the Corps civil works program. It covers the congressional authorization and appropriation process, the standard project development process, and other Corps activities and authorities.
- Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations
- This report discusses issues related to defense funding in the wake of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, generally referred to as the "economic stimulus" bill. The President's FY2009 budget request, released February 4, 2008, included $611.1 billion in new budget authority for national defense.
- Federal Advisory Committees: An Overview
- This report discusses Federal advisory committees, which are created as provisional advisory bodies that can circumvent bureaucratic constraints to collect a variety of viewpoints on specific policy issues. Advisory bodies have been created to address a host of issues, ranging from policies on organ donation to the design and implementation of the Department of Homeland Security. These committees are often created to help the government manage and solve complex or divisive issues.
- Competition in Federal Contracting: An Overview of the Legal Requirements
- This report describes the legal requirements pertaining to competition that presently apply to federal procurement contracts. Among other things, it discusses what contracts are subject to competition requirements; what constitutes full and open competition for government contracts; and what is meant by "full and open competition after exclusion of sources."
- Airport Passenger Screening: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses challenges the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will likely face to address projected growth in passenger airline travel while maintaining and improving upon the efficiency and effectiveness of passenger screening operations.
- Executive Branch Reorganization and Management Initiatives: A Brief Overview
- This report provides a brief overview of recent executive branch reorganization actions and related management initiatives. It reviews the relevant plans and preparations of President-elect Barack Obama as the new Administration transitions to assuming management of the executive branch. Briefly examined, as well, are the organization and management efforts of the most recent regimes.
- Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense. This report summarizes the status of defense authorization and appropriation bills, their scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity.
- United States Fire Administration: An Overview
- This report discusses the United States Fire Administration (USFA), which aims to significantly reduce the nation's loss of life from fire, while also achieving a reduction in property loss and non-fatal injury due to fire.
- Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents
- This report provides a list of executive orders and presidential directives pertaining to information and computer security. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities challenge governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide. Attacks have various targets, depending upon whether the attacker was seeking military intelligence, conducting diplomatic or industrial espionage, engaging in cybercrime, or intimidating political activists; additionally attributing an attack to a specific location can be difficult, which may make responding problematic.
- The National Security Council: An Organizational Assessment
- This study reviews the organizational history of the National Security Council (NSC) and other related components of the Executive Office regarding their changing role in the national security policy process. It is intended to provide information on the NSC's development as well as subsequent usage.
- Presidential Advisers' Testimony Before Congressional Committees: An Overview
- This report discusses the executive office of the President, presidential adviser growth, and presidential advisers' testimony.
- Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies
- This report is a list of about 200 congressional liaison offices, intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
- Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorizations, Appropriations, and Activities
- This report summarizes congressional authorization and appropriations processes for the Army Corps of Engineers and agency activities under general authorities. Congress directs the Corps through authorizations, appropriations, and oversight of its studies, construction projects, and other activities.
- Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense. For both defense authorization and appropriations, this report summarizes the status of the bills, their scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity.
- Statutory Qualifications for Executive Branch Positions
- This report provides background on the framework for constitutional appointments, discusses Congress's constitutional authority to set qualifications for appointees, discusses congressional practices in this area, and provides related analysis and options. It also includes two tables with examples of existing positions with qualification requirements.
- Federal Government Corporations: An Overview
- This report provides an overview of federal government corporations, a category currently consisting of some 17 corporate agencies performing functions assigned to them in law. A government corporation, as defined in this report, is a government agency that is established by Congress to provide a market-oriented public service and required to produce revenues that meet or approximate its expenditures.
- F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background, Status, and Issues
- This report discusses the background, status, and current issues of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The Defense Department's F-35 Lightning II JSF is one of three aircraft modernization programs in tactical aviation, the others being the Air Force F-22A fighter and the Navy F/A-18E/F fighter/attack plane.
- Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents
- This report provides links to cybersecurity legislation in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses.
- General Management Laws: A Compendium
- This report is a companion to CRS Report RL32388, General Management Laws: Major Themes and Management Policy Options. In combination, these reports have three main objectives: (1) to identify and describe the major management laws under which the executive branch of the federal government is required to operate, including their rationale, design, and scope; (2) to assist Members of Congress and their staff in oversight of executive branch management; and (3) to help Congress when considering potential changes to the management laws themselves, as well as other legislation, including authorization statutes and appropriations.
- The Federal Advisory Committee Act: Analysis of Operations and Costs
- The report provides an in-depth examination of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) committee operations, using the data collected by General Services Administration (GSA). The report concludes by providing a list of policy options that Congress can consider when deliberating current or future legislation to amend FACA.
- Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense, and summarizes the status of the bills, their scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity.
- Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents
- This report provides links to cybersecurity legislation in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses and a list of executive orders and presidential directives pertaining to information and computer security.
- The Department of Defense Role in Foreign Assistance: Background, Major Issues, and Options for Congress
- This report begins with a brief introduction to the three areas in which DOD plays a role in foreign assistance and to Congress's part in authorizing that role and briefly discusses the general evolution of DOD's role and the Department of State's current perception of that role based on current national security needs. The report then provides an overview of the evolution of the DOD role and current activities in the three areas cited above, with a snapshot of the varying perspectives on the DOD roles in these areas.
- Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents
- This report provides links to cybersecurity legislation in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses.
- Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense. For both defense authorization and appropriations, this report summarizes the status of the bills, their scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity.
- A Federal Chief Technology Officer in the Obama Administration: Options and Issues for Consideration
- This report addresses issues related to the potential scope of duties and authorities of a CTO, as well as other issues Congress may choose to consider if it opts to exert oversight or to develop legislation to create the position and/or office of a CTO.
- Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2009 Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittees. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant.
- Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts: History, Operations, and Current Issues
- This report summarizes the history, functionality, and current events of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO). The report's overview includes information on why the administration was founded by examining its origins and the role of it in contemporary court proceedings. Moreover, the report highlights how the AO has taken on roles in emergency management.
- Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2006 Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant. The report lists the key CRS staff relevant to the issues covered and related CRS products.
- Administrative Law Judges: An Overview
- This report summarizes what an administrative law judge (ALJ) is, what they do, and their responsibilities as one. Moreover, the report explains that ALJ's have both a rulemaking and judicial role in work done by executive agencies. Finally, the report emphasizes the differences between ALJs and non-ALJs that also conduct judicial activities in federal agencies.
- The Administration of Federal Student Loan Programs: Background and Provisions
- This report discusses the history and current status of federal student loan programs. Specifically, the report focuses on the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and the William D. Ford Direct Loan (DL). Moreover, the report highlights differences in the two programs such as that the FFEL is financed by private lenders, while the DL is financed by the federal government.
- Accounting Problems at Fannie Mae
- This report summarizes the critiques the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Supervision (OFHEO) made of accounting practices at Fannie Mae. The OFHEO's two main issues are under the domains of: amortization of discounts, premiums, fees involved in the purchase of home mortgages, and the other being accounting for financial derivatives contracts. The report emphasizes that these discrepancies created a false image of the company's earnings and in one case was the cause of the company's executives to receive bonuses.
- Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2006 Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant. The report lists the key CRS staff relevant to the issues covered and related CRS products.
- IRS Reform: Innocent Spouse Rule
- Married couples filing joint tax returns are liable individually and as a couple for all taxes due on the return with a limited exemption for innocent spouses. This report discusses joint and several liability, which has been the subject of much criticism and calls for reform or elimination.
- 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.
- Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2009 Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittees. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant
- Agency Enforcement of the Prohibition Against Sex Discrimination Mandated by Title IX and EO 13160
- This report provides a summary of the federal agencies’ enforcement of and compliance with the prohibition against sex discrimination mandated by Title IX and Executive Order 13160. Specifically, this report discusses the implementation of regulations and procedures for enforcing the Title IX compliance of grant recipients and for enforcing the compliance of the federal agencies themselves with President Clinton’s Executive Order.