Congressional Research Service Reports - 161 Matching Results

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Europe’s New Trade Agenda

Description: This report summarizes the European Union's new initiative, casts the initiative in a historical perspective, and assesses the implications of this shift for the global trading system and for U.S. interests.
Date: July 31, 2008
Creator: Ahearn, Raymond J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation: Background and Analysis

Description: This report is intended to serve as an introduction and primer on a complicated, broad, and often highly technical set of issues. It is presented in seven parts: the first section describes the nature and scope of U.S.-EU regulatory barriers; the second section explains the rationale for regulatory cooperation; the third section highlights the differences in U.S.-EU regulatory approaches; the fourth section examines the various forms of regulatory cooperation; the fifth section evaluates the re… more
Date: October 22, 2008
Creator: Ahearn, Raymond J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Specialty Metal Provision and the Berry Amendment: Issues for Congress

Description: This report examines the specialty metal provision which was originally part of the Berry Amendment, the potential oversight issues for Congress, and options that Congress may wish to consider.
Date: October 28, 2008
Creator: Bailey Grasso, Valerie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods

Description: This report discusses the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) as amended by the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246), which states that many U.S. retailers must begin providing country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for fresh produce, red meats, peanuts, chicken, ginseng, pecans, and macadamia nuts.
Date: September 16, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Food and Agricultural Imports from China

Description: This report first provides information on the most recent Chinese-related food safety concern, the use of melamine in dairy ingredients. Following this section, the report provides data on U.S.-China trends in agricultural trade, examines U.S. programs to monitor the safety of imports, and reports on other recent Chinese food safety developments. It concludes with a brief discussion of the congressional role.
Date: September 26, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues

Description: This report discusses the food and agricultural imports, federal oversight responsibilities, international trade considerations, and legislative proposals. The report includes list of tables with leading suppliers of U.S. agriculture and seafood imports, and imported meat and poultry products presented for inspection.
Date: August 14, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues

Description: The report provides background information in the increase of food and agricultural imports and federal oversight responsibilities. It discusses international trade considerations, import refusals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), administration, and legislative proposals.
Date: June 12, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues

Description: The report provides background information in the increase of food and agricultural imports and federal oversight responsibilities. It discusses international trade considerations, import refusals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), administration, and legislative proposals.
Date: April 16, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Russia Meat and Poultry Trade Issues

Description: Russia announced on August 29, 2008, that it was banning poultry imports from 19 U.S. establishments due to safety concerns, and that 29 others could lose approval if they do not improve their standards. Russian officials also signaled that they might reduce U.S. permits to import poultry and pork under that country's quota system. The economic stakes of Russian import actions are high for U.S. poultry producers - 29% of their exports went to that market in 2007 - and red meat producers, who al… more
Date: September 11, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A Value-Added Tax Contrasted With a National Sales Tax

Description: Some members of Congress have expressed interest in the feasibility of using a value-added tax (VAT) to either replace all or part of the income tax or finance health care reform. A VAT is imposed at all levels of production on the differences between firms’ sales and their purchases from all other firms. Policymakers may be interested in the following aspects of a VAT: revenue yield, international comparison of composition of taxes, vertical equity, neutrality, inflation, balance-of-trade, nat… more
Date: February 1, 2008
Creator: Bickley, James M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of Labor Enforcement Issues in Free Trade Agreements

Description: This report identifies two types of enforcement issues: (1) those that relate to the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) provisions themselves, including their definitions and their enforceability, and (2) those that relate to executive branch responsibilities, such as resource availability and determining dispute settlement case priorities.
Date: February 29, 2008
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues

Description: This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians. This report addresses this issue at length, including the arguments for and against the agreement, as well as general U.S.-Colombia economic relations.
Date: November 24, 2008
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proposed Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Labor Issues

Description: This report examines three labor issues and arguments related to the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (CFTA): violence against trade unionists; impunity (accountability for or punishment of the perpetrators); and worker rights protections for Colombians. This report addresses this issue at length, including the arguments for and against the agreement, as well as general U.S.-Colombia economic relations.
Date: November 24, 2008
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones: Trade Agreement Parity (TAP) Proposal

Description: This report provides an introduction to U.S. Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ). The report discusses the details of the Trade Agreement Parity (TAP) proposal, the potential winners and losers under the TAP proposal, economic studies on the TAP proposal, and policy analysis on the TAP proposal.
Date: September 29, 2008
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Advertising Law: An Overview

Description: This report provides a brief overview of federal law with respect to six selected advertising issues: alcohol advertising, tobacco advertising, the federal trade commission act, advertising by mail, advertising by telephone, and commercial e-mail.
Date: April 10, 2008
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and U.S.-Mexico drug trafficking. It also looks at migration, environmental issues, legislation in the 111th Congress, and the relationship between the Obama Administration and Mexico.
Date: July 3, 2008
Creator: Cook, Colleen W. & Sullivan, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Minerals Price Increases and Volatility: Causes and Consequences

Description: This report discusses China's efforts to improve and increase its access to foreign mineral resources, which may have the effect of raising prices for U.S. domestic industrial users. The report examines in detail the relationship between prices, production, and availability of selected metal minerals essential to the U.S. economy. It focuses on iron ore, aluminum (bauxite/alumina), copper, manganese, molybdenum (moly), zinc, platinum group metals (PGMs), and uranium.
Date: October 3, 2008
Creator: Cooney, Stephen; Pirog, Robert; Folger, Peter; Humphries, Marc & Nanto, Dick K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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EU-U.S. Economic Ties: Framework, Scope, and Magnitude

Description: This report provides background information and analysis of the U.S.-EU economic relationship for Members of the 110th Congress as they contemplate the costs and benefits of closer U.S. economic ties with the EU. It examines the economic and political framework of the relationship and the scope and magnitude of the ties based on data from various sources. In addition, the report analyzes the implications these factors have for U.S. economic policy toward the EU.
Date: June 12, 2008
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade in Services: The Doha Development Agenda Negotiations and U.S Goals

Description: This report is designed to assist Congress to understand and monitor progress of the negotiations and the major issues that the negotiators are addressing. The report provides a brief background section on the significance of services to the U.S. economy. It then explains briefly the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the structure and agenda of the services negotiations in the DDA round, including U.S. objectives in the negotiations. The report concludes with a status report on … more
Date: January 24, 2008
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Foreign Trade in Services: Definition, Patterns and Policy Challenges

Description: This report provides background information and analysis on U.S. foreign trade in services. It includes an examination of definitions and examples of services to indicate their nature and scope; a review of the importance of services to the U.S. economy including U.S. foreign trade; and an analysis of the policy challenges that confront the United States, especially the challenge of negotiating a set of international rules on trade in services and the challenge of resolving disputes over trade … more
Date: July 7, 2008
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Proposed U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA): Provisions and Implications

Description: This report is designed to assist Members of the 110th Congress as they consider the costs and benefits of the U.S.-South Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). It examines the provisions KORUS FTA in the context of the overall U.S.-South Korean economic relationship, U.S. objectives, and South Korean objectives.
Date: January 22, 2008
Creator: Cooper, William H.; Manyin, Mark E.; Jones, Vivian C.; Cooney, Stephen & Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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