Congressional Research Service Reports - 70 Matching Results

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Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues

Description: The recognition of same-sex marriages generates debate on both the federal and state levels. Variations in state law on the issue raise questions about the validity of such unions outside the contracted jurisdiction and have bearing on the distribution of federal benefits. This report discusses the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and it's legal challenges. It reviews legal principles applied to determine the validity of a marriage contracted in another state and surveys the various approaches em… more
Date: May 9, 2012
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues

Description: This report discusses Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and legal challenges to it. It reviews legal principles applied to determine the validity of a marriage contracted in another state and surveys the various approaches employed by states to enable or to prevent same-sex marriage. The report also examines House and Senate resolutions introduced in previous Congresses proposing a constitutional amendment and limiting federal courts' jurisdiction to hear or determine any question pertaining to th… more
Date: June 8, 2012
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Adoption in the United States

Description: This report discusses adoption in the U.S. and includes statistics, information on adoption related legislation, and articles on challenges and current topics of discussion related to adoption.
Date: August 1, 1972
Creator: Yavis, Jean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Population Assistance and Family Planning Programs: Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses the U.S. population assistance issues, policy issues in the U.S. family planning debate, and U.S. funding levels. This policy, has generated contentious debate for over two decades, resulting in frequent clarification and modification of U.S. international family planning programs.
Date: July 22, 2005
Creator: Nowels, Larry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Overview

Description: This report provides a nontechnical introduction to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The report briefly describes the history of cash assistance and how the "welfare reform" debates led to the creation of TANF; TANF financing; the TANF cash welfare programs and; other TANF benefits, services, and activities.
Date: November 5, 2014
Creator: Falk, Gene
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Family-Based Immigration Policy

Description: This report discusses family based immigration law and policy and arguments for expanding or restricting family-based immigration numbers.
Date: February 9, 2018
Creator: Kandel, William A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Welfare, Work, and Poverty Status of Female- Headed Families with Children: 1987-2013

Description: The report focuses on welfare dependency and work engagement among single mothers, a major dynamic that welfare reform and accompanying policy changes have attempted to affect. It also examines the role of programs other than Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in providing support to single female-headed families with children.
Date: November 21, 2014
Creator: Gabe, Thomas
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fatherhood Initiatives: Connecting Fathers to Their Children

Description: This report discusses programs that promote the financial and personal responsibility of noncustodial fathers to their children and increase the participation of fathers in the lives of their children. These programs have come to be known as "responsible fatherhood" programs.
Date: October 22, 2013
Creator: Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A History of Federal Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Taxes

Description: This report details the history of the three federal transfer taxes, tracing their development from their eighteenth century roots to the present.
Date: April 9, 2003
Creator: Luckey, John R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fatherhood Initiatives: Connecting Fathers to Their Children

Description: This report discusses "responsible fatherhood" programs that promote the financial and personal responsibility of noncustodial fathers to their children and increase the participation of fathers in the lives of their children.
Date: October 16, 2007
Creator: Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): An Overview

Description: This report discusses the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), as amended, is intended to help employees balance work and family life. The act provides eligible employees with two types of job-protected leave: regular leave and military family leave. In turn, military family leave consists of qualifying exigency leave and military caregiver leave.
Date: August 5, 2013
Creator: Mayer, Gerald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Support Provisions Considered But Not Enacted During the 2002-2005 Welfare Reauthorization Debate

Description: Although the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (enacted February 8, 2006) included significant changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program, it did not include many of the child support provisions that had been considered during the preceding four-year debate within the context of welfare reauthorization. This report discusses 12 such provisions that were passed by either the House or the Senate Finance Committee (or both). The Administration has included several of these provisions in it… more
Date: February 15, 2007
Creator: Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Support Enforcement: $25 Annual User Fee

Description: This report discusses the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program, which was enacted in 1975 as a federal-state program to help strengthen families by securing financial support for children from their noncustodial parent on a consistent and continuing basis and by helping some families to remain self-sufficient and off public assistance by providing the requisite CSE services.
Date: November 6, 2012
Creator: Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Support Enforcement: New Reforms and Potential Issues

Description: P.L. 104-193 (the 1996 welfare reform legislation) made major changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program. Some of the changes include requiring states to increase the percentage of fathers identified, establishing an integrated, automated network linking all states to information about the location and assets of parents, and requiring states to implement more enforcement techniques to obtain collections from debtor parents. Additional legislative changes were made in 1997, 1998, and… more
Date: December 13, 2002
Creator: Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Welfare: Reauthorization of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program in the 107th Congress

Description: This report discusses the reauthorization of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001. The new law maintains the FY2001 mandatory funding level, authorizes additional discretionary funding, and grants new program authority to provide mentoring services for children of prisoners. In addition, the enacted legislation allows states to use Promoting Safe and Stable Families funds for infant "safe haven" programs, provides for reallocation of unused program funds, clarifies language… more
Date: January 24, 2002
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie & Spar, Karen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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