Congressional Research Service Reports - 52 Matching Results
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- The U.S. Science and Technology Workforce
- This report provides an overview of the status of the U.S. science and technology (S&T) workforce, and identifies some of the issues and options that are currently being discussed in Congress. The report concludes with a summary of some pertinent activities in the 110th Congress.
- Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy
- This report discusses congressional interest in the pace of U.S. technological advancement due to its influence on U.S. economic growth, productivity, and international competitiveness. The proper role of the federal government in technology development and the competitiveness of U.S. industry continues to be a topic of congressional debate.
- Engineered Nanoscale Materials and Derivative Products: Regulatory Challenges
- The purpose of this report is to consider certain challenges faced by federal EHS risk assessors, risk managers, and policy makers, and to discuss possible legislative approaches to address those challenges.
- The U.S. Science and Technology Workforce
- This report provides an overview of the status of the U.S. science and technology (S&T) workforce, and identifies some of the issues and options that are currently being discussed in Congress. The report concludes with a summary of some pertinent activities in the 110th Congress.
- Engineered Nanoscale Materials and Derivative Products: Regulatory Challenges
- The purpose of this report is to consider certain challenges faced by federal EHS (environmental, human health and safety) risk assessors, risk managers, and policy makers, and to discuss possible legislative approaches to address those challenges.
- The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of the history of science and technology (S&T) advice to the President and discusses selected issues and options for Congress regarding the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director, OSTP management and operations, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
- Science and Technology Policymaking: A Primer
- This report provides a basic understanding of science and technology policy including the nature of S&T policy, how scientific and technical knowledge is useful for public policy decisionmaking, and an overview of the key stakeholders in science and technology policy.
- Science, Technology, and American Diplomacy: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of current U.S. international S&T policy; describes the role of the Department of State (DOS), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other federal agencies; and discusses possible policy options for Congress. It focuses on international science and technology diplomacy, where American leadership in science and technology is used as a diplomatic tool to enhance another country's development and to improve understanding by other nations of U.S. values and ways of doing business.
- Science, Technology, and American Diplomacy: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of current U.S. international S&T policy; describes the role of the Department of State (DOS), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other federal agencies; and discusses possible policy options for Congress. It focuses on international science and technology diplomacy, where American leadership in science and technology is used as a diplomatic tool to enhance another country's development and to improve understanding by other nations of U.S. values and ways of doing business.
- Science and Technology Policymaking: A Primer
- This report will provide a basic understanding of science and technology policy including the nature of science and technology (S&T) policy, how scientific and technical knowledge is useful for public policy decision making, and an overview of the key stakeholders in science and technology policy.
- The Advanced Technology Program
- President Bush's FY2008 budget request did not include financing for ATP. The FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, P.L. 110-161, replaces ATP with the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and provides $65.2 million (with an additional $5 million in ATP FY2007 unobligated balances), 17.6% less than the previous fiscal year. P.L. 110- 69, the America COMPETES Act, authorized the creation of TIP.
- Amber Alert Program Technology
- This report deals with Amber Alert Program Technology and related policy issues.
- Amber Alert Program Technology
- This report describes Amber Alert Program Technology.
- The DHS Directorate of Science and Technology: Key Issues for Congress
- This report describes the evolving mission, organization, and assets of the S&T Directorate and the activities it conducts. It outlines key policy issues, including the balance of the directorate's programs, its priorities and how they are set, its relationships with other R&D organizations, its mission, its budgeting and financial management, and other concerns.
- Net Neutrality: Background and Issues
- No Description Available.
- China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy
- This report mainly focuses on Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy of China-U.S. Relations.U.S relations with China remarkably smooth from 2001-2004 have shown signs of becoming somewhat more problematic again since 2005 as some U.S policymakers.
- Nanotechnology: A Policy Primer
- This report provides an overview of Congressional support for the economic and societal benefits of nanotechnology; discusses three areas of focus - federal research and development (R&D) in nanotechnology, U.S. competitiveness, and environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns; and also discusses nanomanufacturing and public understanding of and attitudes toward nanotechnology.
- The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities
- No Description Available.
- The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities
- No Description Available.
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a mandate to increase the competitiveness of U.S. firms and provide the measurement, calibration, and quality assurance techniques that underpin U.S. commerce. Congressional debate has focused on the merits of NIST's external R&D programs directed toward increased private sector commercialization, including the now terminated Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). This report discusses the funding for such programs.
- Universal Service Fund: Background and Options for Reform
- This report discusses the idea that all Americans should be able to afford access to the telecommunications network; this is commonly called the "universal service concept" and can trace its origins back to the 1934 Communications Act.
- Universal Service Fund: Background and Options for Reform
- This report discusses the idea that all Americans should be able to afford access to the telecommunications network; this is commonly called the "universal service concept" and can trace its origins back to the 1934 Communications Act.
- Nanotechnology and Environmental, Health, and Safety: Issues for Consideration
- This report identifies the potential environmental, health, and safety opportunities and challenges of nanotechnology; explains the importance of addressing nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns; identifies and discusses nanotechnology EHS issues; and summarizes options for Congressional action, including the nanotechnology EHS-related provisions of selected legislation. The report also includes two appendices.
- Science, Technology, and American Diplomacy: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of current U.S. international S&T policy; describes the role of the Department of State (DOS), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other federal agencies; and discusses possible policy options for Congress. It focuses on international science and technology diplomacy, where American leadership in science and technology is used as a diplomatic tool to enhance another country's development and to improve understanding by other nations of U.S. values and ways of doing business.
- Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments
- This report mainly discusses about the U.S. Defense Deployments on Guam. The U.S military is building up forces on he U.S territory of Guam to maintain deterrence and war fighting capabilities for possible reason to disaster.
- Engineered Nanoscale Materials and Derivative Products: Regulatory Challenges
- No Description Available.
- The Department of Defense, Science and Technology Program: An Analysis, FY1998-FY2007
- The purpose of this report is to help understand how the budget increases of the last ten years have been allocated.
- The Technology Innovation Program
- This report discusses the Technology Innovation Program (TIP), which was created at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to replace the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). This report also discusses the appropriations provided for this program by the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, as well as related financial and budgetary data.
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education: Background, Federal Policy, and Legislative Action
- This report provides the background and context to understand these legislative developments. The report first presents data on the state of Schience, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. It then examines the federal role in promoting STEM education. The report concludes with a discussion of the legislative actions recently taken to address federal STEM education policy.
- Science, Technology, and American Diplomacy: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of current U.S. international S&T policy; describes the role of the Department of State (DOS), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other federal agencies; and discusses possible policy options for Congress. It focuses on international science and technology diplomacy, where American leadership in science and technology is used as a diplomatic tool to enhance another country's development and to improve understanding by other nations of U.S. values and ways of doing business.
- The DHS Directorate of Science and Technology: Key Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview
- This report explores the issue of data mining in detail and in the context of homeland security, as well as relevant initiatives and pieces of legislation. Often used as a means for detecting fraud, assessing risk, and product retailing, data mining involves the use of data analysis tools to discover previously unknown, valid patterns and relationships in large data sets. In the context of homeland security, data mining can be a potential means to identify terrorist activities, such as money transfers and communications, and to identify and track individual terrorists themselves, such as through travel and immigration records.
- Border Searches of Laptop Computers and Other Electronic Storage Devices
- This report discusses a developing issue in the law of search and seizure: whether the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution permits warrantless searches of the content of laptop computers and other electronic storage devices at U.S. borders. The federal courts that have addressed this issue have held that the border search exception to the Fourth Amendment applies to these searches, making warrantless searches permissible.
- Leaking Underground Storage Tanks: Prevention and Cleanup
- This report provides an overview of the prevention and cleanup of the leaking underground storage tanks.
- Protection of Children Online: Federal and State Laws Addressing Cyberstalking, Cyberharassment, and Cyberbullying
- This report discusses Internet crimes, such as cyberbullying, cyberharassment, and cyberstalking, along with the limitations of such laws in the current environment. While Congress, under the Commerce Clause, has authority to regulate the Internet, Internet "harassment" presents new challenges for legislators in terms of defining and prosecuting such activity.
- The Endangered Species Act and “Sound Science”
- This report approaches the complex issues surrounding "sound science" by discussing recent controversies, the role of science in general, what science is and what it can and cannot do - as the background for assessing the adequacy of science in ESA implementation; the role of science in legal and policy ESA context; legislation to address concerns relating to ESA science
- The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities
- This report discusses the federal government's role in the country's information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) activities. The government's support of IT R&D began because it had an important interest in creating computers and software that would be capable of addressing the problems and issues the government needed to solve and study.
- The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities
- This report discusses the federal government's role in the country's information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) activities. The government's support of IT R&D began because it had an important interest in creating computers and software that would be capable of addressing the problems and issues the government needed to solve and study.
- Broadband Internet Regulation and Access: Background and Issues
- This is one part in the series of reports that provide a background and analysis, and most recent developments regarding broadband or high-speed Internet access. The report starts out by answering questions; what is broadband and why is it important? This report also discusses broadband technologies, the status of broadband deployment and the related policy issues, as well as the legislation in congress.
- The World Bank's Clean Technology Fund (CTF)
- The United States Treasury has led efforts to create a $10 billion Clean Technology Fund (CTF), located at the World Bank, to help fund deployment of clean technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing economies. The Bush administration has asked Congress to authorize and appropriate U.S. funding of $2 billion over three years (FY2009 to FY2011). While many Members of Congress have expressed support for the CTF, others have raised concerns, primarily with respect to whether the CTF should finance carbon-based energy projects. To date, Congress has not passed legislation authorizing or appropriating U.S. contributions to the Fund.
- The Siting of Wireless Communications Facilities: An Overview of Federal, State, and Local Law
- The siting of wireless communications facilities has been a topic of controversy in communities all over the United States. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 governs federal, state, and local regulation of the siting of communications towers by placing certain limitations on local zoning authority without totally preempting state and local law. This report provides an overview of the federal, state, and local laws governing the siting of wireless communications facilities.
- The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis
- This report compares and contrasts the goals of, and the investments in, three research and development (R&D) initiatives, which may provide useful insights for Congress as it assesses and debates the nation's energy policy.
- The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis
- This report compares and contrasts the goals of, and the investments in, three research and development (R&D) initiatives, which may provide useful insights for Congress as it assesses and debates the nation's energy policy.
- "Spam": An Overview of Issues Concerning Commercial Electronic Mail
- This report discusses Spam, also called unsolicited commercial email (UCE) or "junk email." 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. Proponents of UCE insist it is a legitimate marketing technique that is protected by the First Amendment. This report discusses this issue in detail, as well as related legislation.
- FEMA Flood Map Modernization Funding
- This report discusses the implementation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s Flood Map Modernization (Map Mod) Initiative (FMMI) and its ongoing Map Mod program. FEMA introduced the FMMI in September 1997 as a strategic plan to convert paper flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) to digital electronic format, or DFIRMs.
- Wind Power in the United States: Technology, Economic, and Policy Issues
- This report describes utility-scale wind power issues in the United States. The report is divided into the following sections: background on wind energy; wind resources and technology; industry composition and trends; wind power economics; and policy issues.
- Data Security: Federal Legislative Approaches
- This report discusses the core areas addressed in federal legislation, including the scope of coverage (who is covered and what information is covered); data privacy and security safeguards for sensitive personal information; requirements for security breach notification (when, how, triggers, frequency, and exceptions); restrictions on social security numbers (collection, use, and sale); credit freezes on consumer reports; identity theft penalties; causes of action; and preemption.
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress
- This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduced during the 110th Congress. Most action in the second session is focused on the FY2009 budget request and legislation that would extend or modify selected renewable energy and energy efficiency tax incentives.
- America COMPETES Act: Programs, Funding, and Selected Issues
- This report provides an overview of the America COMPETES Act provisions, summarizes its legislative origin and the origins of some of the new programs it authorizes, analyzes selected America COMPETES Act programs that are the focus of appropriation discussions, and provides a comparison of the President's budget, congressional appropriations, and America COMPETES Act authorization levels for FY2008.
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress
- This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduces during the 110th Congress. Most action in the second session is focused on the FY2009 budget request, the Farm Bill, and the proposed Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act. The U.S. Department of Energy's FY 2009 budget seeks $1,256.1 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, compared to FY 2008 appropriations of $1,722.4 million on such programs.