Congressional Research Service Reports - 210 Matching Results
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- The Posse Comitatus Act and Related Matters: A Sketch
- This report examines instances, as approved by Congress, where circumstances warrant a departure from the general rule of the Posse Comitatus Act, wherein the military is typically prevented from direct involvement in civilian affairs.
- Iran Sanctions
- This report analyzes U.S. and international sanctions against Iran. The report tracks "implementation" of the various U.S. laws and Executive Orders as designations and imposition of sanctions. Some sanctions require the blocking of U.S.-based property of sanctioned entities.
- The Posse Comitatus Act and Related Matters: The Use of the Military to Execute Civilian Law
- This report provides an historical analysis of the use of the Armed Forces to execute domestic law and of the Posse Comitatus Act, including their apparent theoretical and constitutional underpinnings. The report then outlines the current application of the act as well as its statutory exceptions, and reviews the consequences of its violation.
- Buy America and the Electric Bus Market
- This report discusses a current controversy over how Buy America (which requires that federally-funded highway, public transportation, aviation, and intercity passenger rail projects use U.S.-made manufactured goods) applies to battery-powered buses. This controversy illustrates the challenges in determining whether or not a product is made in the United States.
- Proposals to Impose Sanctions on Russian Sovereign Debt
- This report discusses proposals to impose sanctions on Russian sovereign debt. The U.S. already imposes sanctions on Russia for aggression against Ukraine, election interference, malicious cyber activity, human rights violations, weapons proliferation, and other activities. The sovereign debt sanction would prohibit U.S. investors from buying or trading new Russian sovereign debt.
- Iran's Threats, the Strait of Hormuz, and Oil Markets: In Brief
- This report discusses the how the exchange of threats between members of the governments of Iran and the United States, have again raised the specter of an interruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is a key waterway for the transit of oil and natural gas to world markets. The report also discusses the possibility of Congress to consider legislation regarding sanctions on Iran.
- Proposals to Impose Sanctions on Russian Sovereign Debt
- This report discusses sanctions the U.S. imposes against Russia. The United States imposes sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities for aggression against Ukraine, election interference, malicious cyber activity, human rights violations, weapons proliferation, and other activities. Some Members of Congress are proposing additional sanctions in response to continuing objectionable behavior by the Russian government. One proposal is to sanction new debt issued by the Russian government. If enacted, U.S. investors would be prohibited from buying or trading new Russian sovereign debt.
- Summary of Major Military Reserve Laws Historical Backgrounds: 1948-1968
- This report outlines certain laws that require military action within the United States. It also recalls on back wars to investigate how those actions effected the present time.
- The Library of Congress Legislative Reference Service
- This report is on Legislative Background of Federal Food Aid Programs
- Federal Government Termination of supervision over the American Indian
- This report contains references related to American Indian.
- A Statutory and Organizational Review of the American Revolution Bicentennal Celebration: 1966-1973
- This report is a Statutory and Organizational Review of the American Revolution Bicentennial Celebration from 1966 through 1973.
- The Rise and Decline of the Alien Tort Statute
- This report explains the original purpose of the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), restrictions placed on the ATS by the Supreme Court, the effect of the recent case Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC, and the response from Congress.
- Responding to the Opioid Epidemic: Legal Developments and FDA's Role
- This report discusses the opioid epidemic in the U.S. and the role of the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in helping end the epidemic. The report provides an overview of FDA's existing authorities, the historical context for the opioid epidemic, and the agency's current plan for combatting the opioid epidemic, concluding with an examination of the broader legal questions concerning the crisis.
- Victim Restitution: Attorney's Fees for Internal Investigations?
- This report discusses of whether a federal statute which requires victim reimbursement for "other expenses incurred during participation in the investigation or prosecution of the [victimizing] offense" cover "costs that were neither required nor requested by the government, including costs incurred for the victim's own purposes and unprompted by any official action? An upcoming Supreme Court case ("Lagos v. United States") is set to consider this question.
- Bank Systemic Risk Regulation: The $50 Billion Threshold in the Dodd-Frank Act
- This report focuses on one pillar of the Dodd-Frank Act's (P.L. 111-203) response to addressing financial stability and ending too big to fail: a new enhanced prudential regulatory regime that applies to all banks with more than $50 billion in assets and to certain other financial institutions. Under this regime, the Federal Reserve is required to apply a number of safety and soundness requirements to large banks that are more stringent than those applied to smaller banks. These requirements are intended to mitigate systemic risk posed by large banks. This report also examines the question of which banks are systemically important.
- Unmanned and Unregulated? Court of Appeals Rejects FAA Regulation of Many Drones
- This report discusses a ruling by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals which said that model aircraft including many drones were exempt from the FAA's registration rule. Carious implications of the ruling are also discussed.
- Powers of the President
- This report is about the powers of the President.
- Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAS): Proposals to Expand Tax Incentives for Retirement Savings
- This report contains information about workers covered by employer-sponsored retirement plans.
- General Sales Tax Rates, Food Exemptions and Sales Tax Credits, with a Pro and Con Analysis and Selected References
- This report is about General Sales Tax Rates, Food Exemptions and Sales Tax Credits, with a Pro and Con Analysis and Selected References.
- Physicians Income, Fees, and Costs.
- This report is about physicians fees for hospital bases physicians, in teaching, research, and other positions
- Food Testing and Inspection program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration
- No Description Available.
- Federal Assistance Programs: How to get Information about them and apply for Assistance (including a guide on how to use the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance)
- This report is a journey of the federal assistance program which talks about how to get information about them and apply for assistance.
- Constitutional Authority Statements and the Powers of Congress: An Overview
- This report provides an overview of Congress's powers under the Constitution and their role in interpreting the nation's founding document. It examines House Rule XII, clause 7(c), discussing the results of a recent study conducted by CRS of Constitutional Authority Statement (CAS) that were submitted during the last six months of the 114th Congress, and concludes by discussing trends with regard to the House's recent CAS practices and by providing considerations for congressional personnel drafting CASs.
- Burma's Political Prisoners and U.S. Policy: In Brief
- This report discusses the current issues in Burma (Myanmar) in regards to political prisoners and the resulting U.S. sanctions against the nation.
- Executive Recognization: A Historic Review
- No Description Available.
- National Security Controls and Scientific Information
- This report is about National Security and Scientific Information
- EPA's Mid-Term Evaluation of Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards
- This report discusses the standards set by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for new light-duty vehicles (defined generally as passenger cars and light trucks).
- Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer
- This report discusses section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA), the specific requirements of which must be met in order for the United States to engage in civilian nuclear cooperation with other states. The AEA also provides for exemptions to these requirements, export control licensing procedures, and criteria for terminating cooperation.
- Clean Water Act Issues in the 108th Congress
- This report discusses issues regarding the Clean Water Act. Prospects for legislative initiatives to comprehensively amend the Clean Water Act (CWA) have stalled for some time over whether and exactly how to change the law, and Congress has recently focused legislative attention on narrow bills to extend or modify selected CWA programs, rather than taking up comprehensive proposals. For example, the 108th Congress enacted one bill amending the CWA, legislation to reauthorize the National Estuary Program (H.R. 4731, P.L. 108-399).
- U.S. Sugar Program Fundamentals
- This report discusses the U.S. sugar program, which is singular among major agricultural commodity programs in that it combines a floor price guarantee with a supply management structure that encompasses both domestic production for human use and sugar imports.
- USA PATRIOT Act Sunset: Provisions That Were to Expire on December 31, 2005
- This report examines various provisions of the Patriot Act that were set to expire on December 31, 2005. Their expiration date has been postponed until March 10, 2006. The expiring sections deal with the power of federal authorities to conduct searches and seizures, generally searches and seizures relating to communications.
- U.S. National Science Foundation: An Overview
- This report discusses the National Science Foundation (NSF), which was created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (P.L. 81-507). The NSF has the broad mission of supporting science and engineering in general and funding basic research across many disciplines. The agency provides support for investigator-initiated, merit-reviewed, competitively selected awards, state-of-the-art tools, and instrumentation and facilities.
- Energy Policy: Conceptual Framework and Continuing Issues
- This report discusses major policy approaches, provides a conceptual framework for categorizing energy policy proposals, and briefly describes energy issues that remain current in the debate after the enactment of EPACT.
- Gun Legislation in the 109th Congress
- This report discusses the ongoing debate over the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition. The report provides background information and analysis over the pros and cons of the debate and gun related statistics.
- Drug Control: International Policy and Approaches
- This report discusses various U.S. international narcotics policy approaches meant to achieve two main goals: to reduce the supply of illicit narcotics flowing into the United States, and to reduce the amount of illicit narcotics cultivated, processed, and consumed worldwide.
- How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction
- This report presents a brief description f the five methods used to bring proposed legislation to the House floor for consideration.
- Amendments Between the Houses
- This report is about Amendments between the houses.
- An Abridged Sketch of Extradition To and From the United States
- Abridged synopsis of information about treaties and procedures followed by the United States related to extradition requests (originating in the U.S. or from a foreign country) to surrender a person for prosecution or punishment in another country.
- CRS Issue Statement on Surface Transportation
- This report discusses about Highway and transit program finance, transportation demand, system congestion, the physical condition of the nation's surface transportation infrastructure and highway safety.
- Child Nutrition and WIC Legislation in the 108th and 109th Congresses
- Child nutrition programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children are typically subject to periodic comprehensive reviews, when several appropriations and other authorities expire and have to be reauthorized.
- Immigration Statistics on the Web
- This report identifies selected websites that provide general and statistical information on immigration topics. Selected government and organizational website addresses are included. As with all statistics, it is important to note the source and methodology when consulting immigration statistics, taking into account any organizational bias.
- Delegates to the U.S. Congress: History and Current Status
- This report provides historical background on the development of the position of delegate to congress and on the rights of a delegate once seated.
- War on Drugs: Reauthorization of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
- This report discusses the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2005 , which would reauthorize ONDCP for five years, through FY2010, and authorize funding in specific annual amounts for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program, the media campaign, a Southwest Border violence study, and several anti-methamphetamine initiatives.
- Disposal of Unneeded Federal Buildings: Legislative Proposals in the 112th Congress
- This report begins with an explanation of the real property disposal process, and then discusses some of the factors that have made disposition relatively inefficient and costly.
- Guide to Individuals Seated on the Senate Dais
- This report is one of a series on the legislative process. It contains a guide to individuals seated on the Senate Dais.
- A Sketch of Supreme Court Recognition of Fifth Amendment Protection for Acts of Production
- This report discusses privilege under the Court Recognition of Fifth Amendment Protection for Acts of Production. The privilege covers an individual’s actions rather than his speech or writing, yet many incriminating actions such as providing a blood sample or a handwriting sample are ordinarily not protected because they are not testimonial.
- Credit Counseling Requirements Under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 and the Pension Protection Act of 2006
- This report discusses Section 106 of P.I. 109-8, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, that creates credit counseling requirements for consumers seeking to file for bankruptcy.
- Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding
- This report is about Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding
- The Child Tax Credit
- The child tax credit was enacted in 1997, as Congress addressed concerns that the income tax structure did not adequately reflect a family's reduced ability to pay taxes as family size increased. Subsequent changes in 2001, 2003, and 2004 increased the child tax credit and made it refundable for most families. This report covers current law, legislative history, policy issues, and analysis as well as related information regarding the child tax credit.
- Federal White-Collar Pay: FY2009 Salary Adjustments
- This report provides the details related to Salary adjustments of Federal white-collar employees for the Fiscal Year 2009