Congressional Research Service Reports - 17 Matching Results
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- Consumer Proposals in the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1998: H.R. 3150, 105th Congress, 2d Session (1998)
- This report considers the legislative history of the current consumer bankruptcy scheme. It examines current consumer bankruptcy practice and surveys the consumer proposals set forth in Title I of H.R. 3150, with an emphasis on the likely impact of the bill on family support obligations.
- Securities Litigation Reform: Unfinished Business?
- No Description Available.
- Consumer Bankruptcy Reform: Proposals Before the 105th Congress
- This report examines current consumer bankruptcy practice and the proposals set forth in the reform bills. Also considered are the legislative history of the current consumer bankruptcy scheme, and topics likely to be debated as Congress proceeds to consider consumer bankruptcy reform.
- Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992: Effects on Bringing New Drugs to Market
- No Description Available.
- U.S. Living Standards Compared to Those of Six Other Industrialized Nations
- Sluggish U.S. economic growth over the past few years has raised concern in the United States over the state of U.S. "living standards." The focus of this concern is often centered on the position of U.S. "living standards" compared with those of other industrialized nations. However, there is no clear and precise definition of the standard of living concept, especially one that allows for international comparisons. This report analyzes the standard of living concept within an economic framework, where a nation's standard of living is measured according to its gross domestic product (GDP) on a per capita basis. For the purposes of international comparisons, per capita, GDP data are converted to a common currency using purchasing power parities. Based on this measurement, data indicate that the The United States currently maintains the highest standard of living among the world's top seven industrialized powers, also known as the G-7 countries, although it appears that other industrialized countries, including Japan, are quickly closing the gap.
- Federal Advertising Law: An Overview
- This report provides a brief overview of federal law with respect to five selected advertising issues: alcohol advertising, tobacco advertising, the Federal Trade Commission Act, advertising by mail, and advertising by telephone. There are numerous federal statutes regulating advertising that do not fit within any of these categories; as random examples, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires disclosures in advertisements for prescription drugs ; the Truth in Lending Act governs the advertising of consumer credit ; and a federal criminal statute makes it illegal falsely to convey in an advertisement that a business is connected with a federal agency.
- Tobacco Advertising: Whether the FDA's Restrictions Violate Freedom of Speech
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (1998): Overview, Implementation by States, and Congressional Issues
- On November 23, 1998, attorneys general representing 46 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories signed an agreement with the major cigarette companies to settle all the state lawsuits seeking to recover the Medicaid costs of treating smokers. The Master Settlement Agreement, or MSA, contractually imposes some restrictions on tobacco advertising, marketing, and promotion and requires the manufacturers to make annual payments totaling about $206 billion through 2025. It follows earlier individual settlements with four states--Mississippi, Florida, Texas, and Minnesota--totaling more than $40 billion over the first 25 years. Cigarette price increases have passed on those settlement costs to smokers.
- Compensating Farmers for the Tobacco Settlement
- The legislative proposals designed to reduce smoking, primarily by teenagers, are likely to have negative economic consequences for tobacco growers and tobacco-dependent communities. This report discusses the possibility of some kind of compensation to farmers as part of the settlement package legislation.
- The Proposed Tobacco Settlement: Effects on Prices, Smoking Behavior, and Income Distribution
- No Description Available.
- The Proposed Tobacco Settlement: Who Pays for the Health Costs of Smoking?
- No Description Available.
- Summary and Comparison of the Major Agricultural Provisions of the Tobacco Settlement Policy Proposals
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Legislation in the 105th Congress: Side-by-Side Comparison of S. 1415, S. 1530, S. 1638, S. 1889, H.R. 3474, and H.R. 3868
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Marketing and Advertising Restrictions in S. 1415, 105th Congress: First Amendment Issues
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Marketing and Advertising Restrictions in S. 1648, 105th Congress: First Amendment Issues
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Advertising: The Constitutionality of Limiting its Tax Deductibility
- No Description Available.
- Attorneys' Fees in the State Tobacco Litigation Cases
- In the past few years, many states have filed complaints against the tobacco industry in state court to recover Medicaid costs paid by the states to treat their citizens for tobacco related illnesses. The states are also attempting to recover other damages, such as punitive damages, against the tobacco industry. For various reasons, the states have hired private attorneys to assist the state Attorneys General in prosecuting these cases. In most cases, the retention of private counsel has included a fee agreement specifying the amount of compensation that these attorneys will receive for their services. These agreements are not uniform among the states, but most tend to provide some form of contingency fee arrangement. Some of these states have developed a sliding scale contingency fee schedule which varies with the amount of time spent on the litigation and whether a trial has begun. This report briefly summarizes the different fee agreements that the states have with private counsel.