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Introduction to the Federal Budget Process
This report provides an overview of the introduction to the federal budget process.
Congressional Member Office Operations
Although Member personal congressional offices vary in structure, they all share seven common functions: office management, legislation, projects, casework, mail, press and public relations, and scheduling and reception. This report contains information on what each of those jobs within a Member congressional office may require.
Campaign Finance Law: The Supreme Court Upholds Key Provisions of BCRA in McConnell v. FEC
This report discusses the Supreme Court's decision in McConnell v. FEC. The court upheld against facial constitutional challenges key portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), (P.L. 107-155, commonly known as the McCain-Feingold or Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform law).
Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation
Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th Congress and those that are pending in the 108th Congress. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Paperwork in Special Education
This report discusses some of the requirements of the law that give rise to paperwork, the available statistics on the time special educators spend on paperwork, and selected issues in the House and Senate bills that are related to paperwork reduction.
Israel: U.S. Foreign Assistance
This report includes information regarding United States foreign assistance to Israel. Current aid issues, special benefits, and Israel's debt to the United States government are among topics discussed in this report.
Foreign Remittances to Latin America
This report describes the remittance market place, and then using selected Latin American and Caribbean countries as examples shows how competition and government regulation affect the price of remittances.
The Social Security Protection Act of 2003 (H.R. 743)
No Description Available.
Limiting Court Jurisdiction Over Federal Constitutional Issues: “Court-Stripping”
This report discusses various proposals that have been made to limit the jurisdiction of federal courts to hear cases regarding particular areas of constitutional law such as busing, abortion, prayer in school, and most recently, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Proposals of this type are often referred to as “court-stripping” legislation.
Criminal Charges in Corporate Scandals
Since the collapse of Enron Corp. in late 2001, there has been a series of scandals involving major U.S. corporations. Recurring elements in the scandals include improper or fraudulent accounting, self-enrichment by corporate officers, stock trading on inside information, and the destruction or falsification of business records. This report tracks post-Enron criminal charges.
Coup in Georgia [Republic]: Recent Developments and Implications
This report examines the ouster of Georgia's President Eduard Shevardnadze in the wake of a legislative election that may Georgians viewed as not free and fair.
East Central Europe: Status of International Criminal Court (ICC) Exemption Agreements and U.S. Military Assistance
In a broad effort to obtain U.S. exemptions from International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction, the Bush Administration has sought to conclude bilateral agreements worldwide that would prohibit the transfer of U.S. citizens to the ICC. The European Union has strongly promoted the ICC and is opposed to the U.S.- proposed agreements. This report addresses twelve countries of east central Europe affected by the U.S. and European policies – Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, and Slovenia – and the status of their varied approaches to the transatlantic disagreement over the ICC.
The Blue-Slip Process in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Background, Issues, and Options
This report provides a brief background of the blue-slip process, followed by an overview of current issues concerning blue slips, the debate over the need for a blue-slip policy, and recent and possible future changes to the process.
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, H.R. 1036, S. 659, S. 1805, S. 1806, 108th Congress: Legal Analysis
No Description Available.
The Budget for Fiscal Year 2003
This report discusses the policy, economic, and technical factors that contributed to higher spending and lower receipts, raising the deficit substantially from what was originally proposed.
Azerbaijan’s 2003 Presidential Election and Succession: Implications for U.S. Interests
This report discusses the victory of Ilkham Aliyev in Azerbaijan's 2003 presidential election.
North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Program
This report includes information regarding North Korea's nuclear weapons program. This information includes background, development, and analysis
Appropriations for FY2004: Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs
This report discusses the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations for FY2004.
The Use of Blind Trusts by Federal Officials
No Description Available.
Campaign Finance: Constitutional and Legal Issues of Soft Money
This report discusses the Constitutional and Legal Issues surrounding two major types of soft money that BCRA regulates: political party soft money and soft money used for issue advocacy.
Industry Trade Effects Related to NAFTA
This report will look at the broad effect of NAFTA on the U.S. economy and the trade-related effects at the industry level.
The Higher Education Act: Reauthorization Status and Issues
This report provides an overview of postsecondary education (institutions and students), an overview of the Higher Education Act (HEA) with a focus on its most significant programs and provisions, and a discussion of major issues that have been, or may be, of interest to the Congress during the HEA reauthorization process.
Brownfields and Superfund Issues in the 108th Congress
This report discusses the Superfund program designed for cleaning up the nation’s worst hazardous waste sites was created by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, or CERCLA (P.L. 96-510, as amended). This report discusses recent development and background issues, superfund issues, revenue issues, comprehensive reauthorization, and legislation regarding superfund program.
Global Climate Change
This report includes information regarding global climate change and its recent developments, background, science and policy, and international action being taken.
The History of the Blue Slip in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1917-Present. October 2003
This report provides a history of the Judiciary Committee blue-slip custom, a practice which emanated from the chambers tradition of senatorial courtesy.
Judicial Nomination Statistics: U.S. District and Circuit Courts, 1945-1976
No Description Available.
Genetically Engineered Soybeans: Acceptance and Intellectual Property Rights Issues in South America
This report discusses issues regarding genetically engineered soybeans in South America. U.S. soybean growers and trade officials charge that Argentina and Brazil–the United States’ two major export competitors in international soybean markets–gain an unfair trade advantage by routinely saving genetically-engineered (GE), Roundup Ready (RR) soybean seeds from the previous harvest (a practice prohibited in the United States) for planting in subsequent years.
Drug Control: International Policy and Approaches
Over the past decade, worldwide production of illicit drugs has risen dramatically: opium and marijuana production has roughly doubled and coca production tripled. Street prices of cocaine and heroin have fallen significantly in the past 20 years, reflecting increased availability. Despite apparent national political resolve to deal with the drug problem, inherent contradictions regularly appear between U.S. anti-drug policy and other national policy goals and concerns. The mix of competing domestic and international pressures and priorities has produced an ongoing series of disputes within and between the legislative and executive branches concerning U.S. international drug policy. One contentious issue has been the Congressionally-mandated certification process, an instrument designed to induce specified drug-exporting countries to prioritize or pay more attention to the fight against narcotics businesses.
Child Pornography: Constitutional Principles and Federal Statutes
The Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996, P.L. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009- 26, added a definition of “child pornography” that include visual depictions of what appears to be a minor engaging in explicit sexual conduct, even if no actual minor was used in producing the depiction. On April 16, 2002, in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, the Supreme Court held this provision unconstitutional to the extent that it prohibited pictures that were not produced with actual minors. (This case is discussed under “Section 2256,” below.) In response to Ashcroft, bills were introduced in the House and Senate that would continue to ban some child pornography that was produced without an actual minor; on June 25, 2002, the House passed one such bill: H.R. 4623, 107th Congress.
Obscenity, Child Pornography, and Indecency: Recent Developments and Pending Issues
This report outlines recent developments and pending issues regarding obscenity, child pornography, and indecency. The First Amendment provides that "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..." The First Amendment applies, with two exceptions, to pornography and indecency, with those terms being used to refer to any words or pictures of a sexual nature. The two exceptions are obscenity and child pornography; because these are not protected by the First Amendment, they may be, and have been, made illegal.
Comparing Quota Buyout Payments for Peanuts and Tobacco
The purpose of this analysis is to provide a generally consistent comparison of the benefits provided to peanut quota holders and producers and proposed benefits concerning tobacco. It is not the intention of this analysis to attempt to determine the appropriate size of these buyout payments.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR): Controversies for the 108th Congress
This report discusses the ongoing debate about whether or not to approve energy development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Current law forbids energy leasing in the Refuge. This report addresses several legislative options on the issue, as well as policymakers' arguments for and against development, especially in the wake of increasing terrorism since 2000-2001.
Broadband Internet Access: Background and Issues
From a public policy perspective, the goals are to ensure that broadband deployment is timely, that industry competes fairly, and that service is provided to all sectors and geographical locations of American society. The federal government -- through Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) -- is seeking to ensure fair competition among the players so that broadband will be available and affordable in a timely manner to all Americans who want it. While the FCC's position is not to intervene at this time, some assert that legislation is necessary to ensure fair competition and timely broadband deployment. One proposal would ease certain legal restrictions and requirements, imposed by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, on incumbent telephone companies who provide high speed data (broadband) access. Another proposal would compel cable companies to provide "open access" to competing Internet service providers.
Clean Air Act Issues in the 108th Congress
Clean air issues were discussed at length in the 107th Congress, but legislation was not enacted, leaving the same issues for possible consideration in the 108th. The most prominent air quality issues discussed in this report are; the controversy over EPA’s proposed changes to the New Source Review (NSR) requirements, Clear Skies / Multi-Pollutant Legislation, gasoline additive MTBE, Conformity of Transportation Plans and SIPs Deadlines for Achieving the Ozone Air Quality Standard.
The Social Security Protection Act of 2003 (H.R. 743)
No Description Available.
"Junk E-mail": An Overview of Issues and Legislation Concerning Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail ("Spam")
Unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE), also called “spam” or “junk e-mail,” aggravates many computer users. Not only can spam be a nuisance, but its cost may be passed on to consumers through higher charges from Internet service providers who must upgrade their systems to handle the traffic. Also, some spam involves fraud, or includes adult-oriented material that offends recipients or that parents want to protect their children from seeing. Proponents of UCE insist it is a legitimate marketing technique that is protected by the First Amendment. While 36 states have anti-spam laws, there is no federal law specifically concerning spam. Nine “antispam” bills are pending in the 108th Congress: H.R. 1933 (Lofgren), H.R. 2214 (Burr-Tauzin-Sensenbrenner), H.R. 2515 (Wilson-Green), S. 563 (Dayton), S. 877 (Burns-Wyden), S. 1052 (Nelson-FL), S. 1231 (Schumer), S. 1293 (Hatch), and S. 1327 (Corzine). Two (S. 877 and S. 1293) have been reported from committee. Tables providing brief “side-by-side” comparisons of the bills are included at the end of this report.
Medical Malpractice Liability Reform: Legal Issues and Fifty-State Survey of Caps on Punitive Damages and Noneconomic Damages
No Description Available.
Products Liability: A Legal Overview
No Description Available.
Abortion: Legislative Response
The primary focus of this issue brief is legislative action in the 108th Congress with respect to abortion. However, discussion of those legislative proposals necessarily involves a brief discussion of the leading U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate her pregnancy. For a more detailed discussion of the relevant case law, see CRS Report 95-724, Abortion Law Development: A Brief Overview.
Constitutionality of a Senate Filibuster of a Judicial Nomination
This report provides an overview of the major issues which have been raised recently in the Senate regarding the Judicial Nominations, Filibusters, and the Constitution: When a Majority Is Denied Its Right to Consent and in the press concerning the constitutionality of a Senate filibuster (i.e., extended debate) of a judicial nomination.
Electronic Banking: The Check Truncation Issue
If all checks were replaced by electronic transactions, the exact cost savings would still be unknown, because estimates of the cost of using a check and the number of checks written each year remain in dispute. Consequently, estimates of cost savings range from $1.4 billion annually for truncation alone to $68 billion for replacing checks with electronic payments. A significant part of the savings comes from eliminating the handling, sorting, and physically transporting of checks to the paying bank. To clear checks electronically, banks must negotiate processing agreements thatmake it unnecessary to physically present the paper check. Since the benefits are not uniformly dispersed among the participants, banks have found it difficult to obtain these agreements, thus constraining the widespread adoption of electronic check clearing.
Energy Policy: The Continuing Debate
On April 10, 2003, the House passed comprehensive energy legislation, H.R. 6 (247- 175). The bill was a composite of four measures – H.R. 39, reported from the House Committee on Resources, H.R. 238, marked up by the House Science Committee, H.R. 1531, reported from Ways and Means, and an unnumbered bill reported out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Unlike comprehensive energy legislation (H.R. 4) debated in the 107th Congress, H.R. 6 includes a section on electricity which has stirred some controversy. H.R. 6 would provide authorization for exploration and development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
Mining on Federal Lands
No Description Available.
Partial-Birth Abortion: Recent Developments in the Law
No Description Available.
Pensions and Retirement Saving Plans: Comparison of H.R. 1776 with Current Law
No Description Available.
Safe Drinking Water Act: Implementation and Issues
No Description Available.
The Alien Tort Statute: Legislative History and Executive Branch Views
The report provides a historical overview of court decisions interpreting the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), also known as the Alien Tort Claims Act (ACTA). The report then provides an overview of the positions taken by the U.S. government in published opinions of the Attorney General and in court briefs related to ATS claims.
Capital Income Tax Revisions and Effective Tax Rates
This report discusses several temporary provisions affecting the taxation of capital income that were adopted in the 2001-2003 period. These provisions include lower individual tax rates, bonus depreciation, and lower individual income tax rates on dividends and capital gains.
Clean Water Act Issues in the 108th Congress
In this report several other Clean Water Act issues are likely to receive congressional attention, through oversight hearings and possibly in legislative proposals. Among the topics of interest is whether and how the Administration will revise the current program for restoration of pollution-impaired waters (the Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL program), in view of controversy over regulatory changes made during the Clinton Administration and continuing disagreement among states, cities, industry, and environmental advocates about program effectiveness and efficiency.
The FBI: Past, Present, and Future
This report contains information on the history of the FBI, the organization and culture of the FBI, current major investigative programs, pertinent relationships, and related information.
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