Congressional Research Service Reports - 156 Matching Results

Search Results

Results: 1 - 24 next
open access

Points of Order in the Congressional Budget Process

Description: The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 created a process that Congress uses each year to establish and enforce the parameters for budgetary legislation. This report summarizes points of order under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as amended, as well as related points of order established in the budget resolutions adopted by Congress in 2007 and 2008, the Rules of the House for the 110th Congress, and the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990. In addition, it describes how points of order are appli… more
Date: June 23, 2008
Creator: Saturno, James V.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

House Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments

Description: Both House and party rules detail procedures for committee assignments. House rules address the election and membership of committees, especially limitations on membership. The Democratic Caucus and Republican Conference rules designate categories of committees (shown below) and specify service limitations in addition to those in the House rules.
Date: March 20, 2008
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

House Committees: Assignment Process

Description: Committee assignments often determine the character of a Member's career. They are also important to the party leaders who organize the chamber and shape the composition of the committees. House rules identify some procedures for making committee assignments; Republican Conference and Democratic Caucus rules supplement these House rules and provide more specific criteria for committee assignments. This report describes these procedures and the basic functions of committee assignment in the Hous… more
Date: February 25, 2008
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

House Committee Organization and Process: A Brief Overview

Description: Committees are integral to the work of Congress in determining the policy needs of the nation and acting on them. This report provides a brief overview of six features of the committee system in the House: organization, hearings, markup, reporting, oversight, and publications. Committees in the House have four primary powers: to conduct hearings and investigations, to consider bills and resolutions and amendments to them, to report legislation to the House for its possible consideration, and to… more
Date: April 21, 2008
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor

Description: The Senate follows a well-established routine on the opening day of a new Congress. This report discusses the various opening-day procedures, including the swearing in of new members, administrative business, and election of the President pro tempore.
Date: October 29, 2008
Creator: Amer, Mildred L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Protection of Classified Information by Congress: Practices and Proposals

Description: The protection of classified national security and other controlled information is of concern not only to the executive branch - which determines what information is to be safeguarded, for the most part - but also to Congress, which uses the information to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities. It has established mechanisms to safeguard controlled information in its custody, although these arrangements have varied over time between the two chambers and among panels in each. This report ex… more
Date: May 27, 2008
Creator: Kaiser, Frederick M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Kosovo's Independence and U.S. Policy

Description: On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. On February 18, the United States recognized Kosovo as an independent state. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and most other European Union countries have also recognized Kosovo. Serbia and Russia have heatedly objected to the recognition of Kosovo's independence. Independent Kosovo faces many challenges, including its relations with Serbia and Serbs in Kosovo, as well as weak institutions and an underdeveloped economy.
Date: June 17, 2008
Creator: Woehrel, Steven
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

"Fast Track" Parliamentary Procedures of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

Description: The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of H.R. 1424, P.L. 110-343) empowers the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase certain "troubled assets" as a means to stabilize the economy. This report examines this procedure and explains how it differs from the regular parliamentary mechanisms of the House and Senate.
Date: November 14, 2008
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Senate Committee Party Ratios: 94th - 110th Congresses

Description: This report provides an overview of Senate standing committee sizes and ratios for the 94th and 110th Congresses. Also included are data on permanent select committees with legislative jurisdiction. A table for each Congress shows the party division in the Senate, total number of seats on each committee, number of seats assigned to the majority and minority parties, and, where present, number of seats assigned to independents. The tables also provide the number of majority-minority caucus seat … more
Date: November 18, 2008
Creator: Tong, Lorraine H.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Legislative Process on the House Floor: An Introduction

Description: This report is an introductory and selective explanation of the rules, procedures, and practices by which the House of Representatives considers public bills and resolutions on the floor. After discussions of the nature of House rules, the differences between the House and the Committee of the Whole, and limitations on debate, the report describes five different ways in which the House may consider, perhaps debate and amend, and then vote on whether to pass legislation. The report also discusse… more
Date: November 26, 2008
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Asian Pacific Americans in the United States Congress

Description: Asian Pacific Americans have served in both houses of Congress representing California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Oregon, Virginia, American Samoa, and Guam. They have served in leadership positions, including committee and subcommittee chairmanships. This report presents information on Senators, Representatives, and Delegates, including party affiliations, length and dates of service, and committee assignments.
Date: June 23, 2008
Creator: Tong, Lorraine H.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Expulsion and Censure Actions Taken by the Full Senate Against Members

Description: The Senate has censured nine Senators for various misconduct, including conduct not a violation of any law or specific written Senate ethics rule, when such conduct is found contrary to "acceptable norms of ethical conduct in the Senate," contrary to "accepted morals" and "senatorial ethics," when found to "derogate from the public trust expected of a Senator," and/or found to be "reprehensible" conduct which brings the Senate into "dishonor and disrepute." Conduct resulting in Senate "censure"… more
Date: November 12, 2008
Creator: Maskell, Jack
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Resolving Legislative Differences in Congress: Conference Committees and Amendments Between the Houses

Description: This report summarizes the procedures the two houses of Congress use most frequently to resolve their legislative differences. It is based upon an interpretation of the rules and published precedents of the House and Senate, and an analysis of the application of these rules and precedents in recent practice. It bears emphasizing that this report is not exhaustive nor is it in any way an official statement of House or Senate procedures. It may serve as a useful introduction or general guide, but… more
Date: November 26, 2008
Creator: Rybicki, Elizabeth
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Legislative Branch Staffing, 1954-2007

Description: This report provides data and analysis concerning legislative branch staffing levels since 1954. Legislative branch staff include congressional staff, who work in the House or Senate, and legislative agency staff, who work in a legislative branch agency. At present, there is no legislation pending before Congress to change existing staff arrangements in Congress or legislative branch agencies. As policies and issues before Congress continue to proliferate in volume and complexity, new proposal… more
Date: October 15, 2008
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

Description: This fact sheet tracks the current heads of government in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and provides the dates of the last and next election for head of government. It also provides the national independence date for each country.
Date: June 2, 2008
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P. & Gomez-Granger, Julissa
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

AIDS in Africa

Description: This report discusses the AIDS issues in Africa and the Bush administration call to double U.S. international funding for AIDS.
Date: February 2, 2008
Creator: Cook, Nicolas
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Job Loss and Infrastructure Job Creation During the Recession

Description: The report examines trends in employment and job loss since the start of the latest recession then focuses on job creation estimates associated with increased spending on infrastructure, placing a heavy emphasis on explaining the limitations with the methodology that is often utilized to develop the estimates.
Date: December 23, 2008
Creator: Levine, Linda
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Congressional Review Act: Disapproval of Rules in a Subsequent Session of Congress

Description: This report addresses some of the implications of the CRA with regard to agency rulemaking in the final months of a presidential administration. It first notes the practice of increased rulemaking activity during this period, and describes how this practice has been addressed by two White House memoranda issued during the current Bush Administration. The report then briefly identifies key elements of the complex set of time periods established by the CRA — elements that define points during the… more
Date: September 3, 2008
Creator: Copeland, Curtis W. & Beth, Richard S.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2008

Description: This report responds to congressional inquiries concerning the nature, history, and contemporary application of the process for awarding Gold Medals, and includes a historical examination and chronological list of these awards. It is intended to assist Members of Congress and staff in their consideration of future Gold Medal proposals, and will be updated as Gold Medals are approved.
Date: May 9, 2008
Creator: Stathis, Stephen W.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Presidential Appointee Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation and Committees Handling Nominations

Description: This report identifies, by Senate committee, presidentially appointed positions requiring Senate confirmation based on referrals as of October 31, 2007. For each committee list, positions are categorized as full- or part-time and then grouped by department or agency. Where nominations have been referred to more than one committee, the organizations and titles are noted under each of the committees to which the nominations were referred. The lists also include the lengths of fixed terms, where a… more
Date: March 18, 2008
Creator: Hogue, Henry B.; Bearden, Maureen & Lisbeth, Terrence L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Motion to Recommit in the House of Representatives: Effects, Recent Trends, and Options for Change

Description: This report provides an overview of House rules and precedents governing the motion to recommit, examines the use of the motion in the 110th Congress, and discusses arguments both favoring and opposing changing House procedures governing the motion. This report will be updated to reflect any changes in House rules governing the usage of the motion to recommit.
Date: November 20, 2008
Creator: Lynch, Megan S.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Federalism, State Sovereignty, and the Constitution: Basis and Limits of Congressional Power

Description: The report discusses state and federal legislative power generally, and focuses on a number of these "federalism" cases. Issues addressed include congressional power under the Commerce Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment; limits on congressional powers, such as the Tenth Amendment; and state sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment.
Date: February 1, 2008
Creator: Thomas, Kenneth R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2009

Description: This report briefly describes current responsibilities and selection mechanisms for 15 House and Senate party leadership posts and provides tables with historical data, including service dates, party affiliation, and other information for each. Tables have been updated as of the report's issuance date to reflect leadership changes. The report will be updated as changes in House and Senate party leadership positions occur.
Date: November 25, 2008
Creator: Heithusen, Valerie
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen