Congressional Research Service Reports - 58 Matching Results

Search Results

Results: 1 - 24 next
open access

The Future of the Eurozone and U.S. Interests

Description: Seventeen of the European Union's 27 member states share an economic and monetary union (EMU) with the euro as a single currency. These countries are effectively referred to as the Eurozone. What has become known as the Eurozone crisis began in early 2010 when financial markets were shaken by heightened concerns that the fiscal positions of a number of Eurozone countries, beginning with Greece, were unsustainable. This report provides background information and analysis on the future of the Eur… more
Date: January 17, 2012
Creator: Ahearn, Raymond J.; Jackson, James K.; Mix, Derek E. & Nelson, Rebecca M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Renewable Electricity: How Does Wind Generation Impact Competitive Power Markets?

Description: This report analyzes the impacts of wind generation on competitive power markets, including financial and economic impacts on electric power generators. Overall, the report aims to provide context for several electricity market concepts that are relevant to understanding the economic effects of wind power generation.
Date: November 7, 2012
Creator: Brown, Phillip
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The American Opportunity Tax Credit: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Options

Description: This report gives an overview of the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC)—enacted on a temporary basis by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and extended through the end of 2012 by the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010— which is a partially-refundable tax credit that provides financial assistance to taxpayers who are attending college, or whose children are attending college. There are a variety of policy options mentioned in the report r… more
Date: June 11, 2012
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

NATO Common Funds Burdensharing: Background and Current Issues

Description: This report gives an overview of the feasibility of burdensharing amongst North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states due to the global financial crisis and defense budget cuts in many of the contributing nations.
Date: February 15, 2012
Creator: Ek, Carl
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Depreciating Dollar: Economic Effects and Policy Response

Description: This report discusses the trend of depreciation of the dollar since 2002. This raises concern among some in Congress and the public that the dollar's decline is a symptom of broader economic problems, such as a weak economic recovery, rising public debt, and a diminished standing in the global economy. However, a falling currency is not always a problem, but possibly an element of economic adjustments that are, on balance, beneficial to the economy.
Date: February 23, 2012
Creator: Elwell, Craig K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Health Insurance: A Primer

Description: This report provides information related to health insurance. The content includes what it is, why is it needed, health insurance regulation, and how are private health benefits delivered and financed.
Date: February 16, 2012
Creator: Fernandez, Bernadette
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses selected litigation to demonstrate how those events have changed the campaign finance landscape and affected the policy issues that may confront Congress, but it is not a constitutional or legal analysis. Campaign finance data appears throughout the report.
Date: January 4, 2012
Creator: Garrett, R. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Ability to Repay, Risk-Retention Standards, and Mortgage Credit Access

Description: This report examines the developments associated with the implementation of mortgage lending reforms. The report begins with a summary of proposed ability to repay and risk-retention standards. Next, the report describes risky underwriting and financing practices that occurred prior to the mortgage crisis, followed by a discussion of how access to mortgage credit might be affected.
Date: June 5, 2012
Creator: Getter, Darryl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

National Mortgage Servicing Standards: Legislation in the 112th Congress

Description: This report analyzes the potential misaligned incentives in the servicer-mortgage holder relationship and the servicing standards that attempt to address each concern, the servicer-borrower relationship and the relevant servicing provisions, as well as the possible implications of reforming the servicing industry.
Date: August 29, 2012
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Reduce, Refinance, and Rent? The Economic Incentives, Risks, and Ramifications of Housing Market Policy Options

Description: This report discusses the background of financial panic in September 2008, precipitated by the housing bubble of 2006. In particular, the report looks at options that the 112th Congress has regarding the housing market: (1) reducing mortgage principal for borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth, (2) refinancing mortgages for borrowers shut out of traditional financing methods, and (3) renting out foreclosed homes.
Date: June 12, 2012
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

An Analysis of the “Buffett Rule”

Description: This report is an Analysis of the “Buffett Rule”.
Date: March 28, 2012
Creator: Hungerford, Thomas L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Export-Import Bank: Background and Legislative Issues

Description: The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank, EXIM Bank, or the Bank), an independent federal government agency, is the official export credit agency (ECA) of the United States. It helps finance U.S. exports of manufactured goods and services, with the objective of contributing to the employment of U.S. workers, primarily in circumstances when alternative financing is not available. Members of the 112th Congress may examine issues related to the Ex-Im Bank that center on the economic… more
Date: April 3, 2012
Creator: Ilias, Shayerah
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank: Issues and Policy Options for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and potential issues and options for Congress relating to the reauthorization of Ex-Im Bank. The scope of this report is limited to Ex-Im Bank reauthorization issues.
Date: January 1, 2012
Creator: Ilias, Shayerah
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

Description: This report gives a brief overview of P.L. 110-49, the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007. Although both the President and Congress are directly involved in formulating the scope and direction of U.S. foreign investment policy, this law broadens Congress' oversight role; it also explicitly includes the areas of homeland security and critical infrastructure as separately-identifiable components of national security that the President must consider when evaluating the national s… more
Date: September 26, 2012
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Exon-Florio National Security Test for Foreign Investment

Description: This report covers the recent background of the Exon-Florio provision with special regards to issues faced in the 112th Congress. The Exon-Florio provision grants the President the authority to block proposed or pending foreign acquisitions of "persons engaged in interstate commerce in the United States" that threaten to impair the national security.
Date: October 1, 2012
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

A Securities Transactions Tax: Brief Analytic Overview with Revenue Estimates

Description: This report briefly discusses recent STT (Securities Transactions Tax) proposals, summarizes the possible effects on financial market volatility and speculation, and provides estimates of the potential revenue effects.
Date: June 1, 2012
Creator: Keightley, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The National Flood Insurance Program: Status and Remaining Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an analysis of flood risk management, summarizes major challenges facing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and outlines key reforms in the recently enacted Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. The report also identifies and presents some key remaining flood management issues for congressional considerations, and it concludes with a discussion of relevant policy options for the future financial management of flood hazards in the United States.
Date: December 10, 2012
Creator: King, Rawle O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP): An Overview

Description: This report looks at how the Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP) works, including its funding and administration by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Date: October 26, 2012
Creator: Kirk, Robert S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Changing the Federal Reserve's Mandate: An Economic Analysis

Description: This report discusses a number of implementation issues surrounding an inflation target. These include what rate of inflation to target, what inflation measure to use, whether to set a point target or range, and what penalties to impose if a target is missed.
Date: March 13, 2012
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen