Congressional Research Service Reports - 64 Matching Results

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Unemployment and Employment Programs Available to Workers from Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi Affected by Hurricane Katrina

Description: The Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995 (S. 1; H.R. 5) responds to the concerns of many State and local officials with regard to costs placed upon them by "unfunded mandates." Generally, unfunded mandates are responsibilities or duties placed on one level of government by another without paying the costs of carrying out such responsibilities or duties.
Date: September 19, 2005
Creator: Whittaker, Julie M. & Lordeman, Ann
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Davis-Bacon Suspension and Its Legislative Aftermath

Description: During the last week of August 2005, Hurricane Katrina gathered strength in the Atlantic and moved against the gulf states. On September 8, 2005, amid the devastation left in Katrina’s wake, President George W. Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act as it applies to certain jurisdictions in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Although the President has the authority, under Section 6 of the Act, to render such suspensions during a national emergency, that authority has rarely been utilized… more
Date: October 3, 2005
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Katrina Relief: U.S. Labor Department Exemption of Contractors from Written Affirmative Action Requirements

Description: This report discusses the Employment Standards Administration (ESA) attempt to assist Hurricane Katrina relief efforts by having federal contract agencies use an affirmative action program that is imposed on companies by E.O. 11246. This would require contractors to "refrain from discrimination and to take affirmative action with respect to the employment of racial and ethnic minorities, women, and religious adherents (Summary)."
Date: September 27, 2005
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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DR-CAFTA Labor Rights Issues

Description: The U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DRCAFTA) is the eighth free trade agreement to include labor protections.1 Labor concerns tend to focus on three main questions: (1) How strong are labor laws in DRCAFTA countries?2 (2) Are those labor laws being adequately enforced? and (3) Does DR- CAFTA comply with the principal negotiating objectives for trade agreements outlined in the Trade Act of 2002?
Date: June 2, 2005
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Davis-Bacon Act: Suspension

Description: The Davis-Bacon Act is one of several statutes that deals with federal government procurement. Enacted in 1931, Davis-Bacon requires, inter alia, that not less than the locally prevailing wage be paid to workers engaged in federal contract construction. This report reviews the several cases during which the Davis-Bacon Act was suspended and will likely be updated as developments make necessary.
Date: September 26, 2005
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities

Description: Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). COLAs for both CSRS and FERS are determined by the average monthly CPI-W during the third quarter (July to September) of the current calendar year and the third quarter of the previous year.
Date: October 18, 2005
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mexican Workers in the United States: A Comparison with Workers from Social Security Totalization Countries

Description: On June 29, 2004, the United States and Mexico signed a Social Security totalization agreement, the effects of which depend on the yet to be disclosed language of the agreement. A totalization agreement coordinates the payment of Social Security taxes and benefits for workers who divide their careers between two countries. The agreement has not been transmitted to Congress for review, which is required under law before the agreement can go into effect. This report does not attempt to estimate t… more
Date: July 29, 2005
Creator: Siskin, Alison & Mayer, Gerald
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The United States and Europe: Current Issues

Description: The United States and Europe share a long and intertwined history. Despite the end of the Cold War, both sides of the Atlantic continue to face a common set of international concerns, have few other comparable partners, and share a huge economic relationship. Nevertheless, numerous foreign policy and trade conflicts have seriously challenged U.S.-European relations in recent years. This report examines the current state of the transatlantic relationship and key issues in Europe and beyond that … more
Date: June 10, 2005
Creator: Archick, Kristin
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Affirmative Action: Justice O'Connor's Opinions

Description: An examination of Justice O’Connor’s opinions reveals a gradual shift in perspective regarding the legal and constitutional standards to be applied in evaluating governmental affirmative action efforts, and the manner of their application in various legal and factual settings. This report briefly surveys decisions of retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in affirmative action cases, an area where her opinions have frequently determined the outcome.
Date: July 19, 2005
Creator: Dale, Charles V.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education: FY2006 Appropriations

Description: 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 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant.
Date: August 8, 2005
Creator: Irwin, Paul M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education: FY2006 Appropriations

Description: 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 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant.
Date: December 1, 2005
Creator: Irwin, Paul M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Employees: Pay and Pension Increases Since 1969

Description: Pay increases for current federal employees and cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retired federal employees often differ because they are based on changes in different economic variables. Increases in pay for civilian federal workers are indexed to wage and salary increases in the private-sector, as measured by the Employment Cost Index (ECI), while federal retirement and disability benefits are indexed to price increases as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This report discusses… more
Date: January 21, 2005
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Computer Services Personnel: Overtime Pay Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

Description: The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA), as amended, is the primary federal statute in the area of minimum wages and overtime pay. Through administrative rulemaking, the Secretary of Labor has established two tests through which to define eligibility under the Section 13(a)(1) exemption: a duties test and an earnings test. In the 106th Congress, legislation was introduced by Representatives Andrews and Lazio that would have increased the scope of the exemption: first, by expanding the range… more
Date: February 7, 2005
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Employment-Related Issues in Bankruptcy

Description: This report provides an overview of the status of employee wages and benefits, including retiree benefits, when an employer files in bankruptcy, and the amendments made to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. This report examines those provisions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code which govern the priority of employee wage and benefit claims, including severance payments; procedures for a chapter 1 1 debtor to modify benefits under a collective barga… more
Date: November 1, 2005
Creator: Jeweler, Robin
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pay Equity Legislation in the 109th Congress

Description: This report discusses the gender wage gap and the efforts to close the gap through acts, such as Equal Pay Act (EPA), and the work to strengthen anti-discrimination laws and add additional measures to ensure gender equality in the work force. The report discusses the opposition who believes the gap will close on its own as women continue to work their way up in the workforce.
Date: May 11, 2005
Creator: Dale, Charles V. & Levine, Linda
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Labor in West African Cocoa Production: Issues and U.S. Policy

Description: This report outlines how and where cocoa is produced, discusses the use of abusive child labor in the industry, efforts by Congress to counter abusive child labor — including the Harkin-Engel Protocol, and initiatives by affected governments and international organizations to address the problem. This report also provides possible policy options that might undertaken to stop the use of child labor in cocoa production.
Date: July 13, 2005
Creator: Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji; Hanrahan, Charles E. & Cook, Nicolas
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Farm Labor: The Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR)

Description: American agricultural employers have long utilized foreign workers on a temporary basis, regarding them as an important labor resource. At the same time, the relatively low wages and adverse working conditions of such workers have caused them to be viewed as a threat to domestic American workers. Some have argued that foreign guest workers compete unfairly with U.S. workers — both in terms of compensation that they are willing to accept and by making it somewhat more difficult for domestic work… more
Date: April 14, 2005
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fruits, Vegetables, and Other Specialty Crops: A Primer on Government Programs

Description: U.S. farmers grow more than 250 types of fruit, vegetable, tree nut, flower, ornamental nursery, and turfgrass crops in addition to the major bulk commodity crops. Although specialty crops are ineligible for the federal commodity price and income support programs, they are eligible for other types of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) support, such as crop insurance, disaster assistance, and, under certain conditions, ad hoc market loss assistance payments. This report describes the federal … more
Date: January 26, 2005
Creator: Rawson, Jean M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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