Congressional Research Service Reports - 366 Matching Results

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Electricity Restructuring Background: The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and the Energy Policy Act of 1992: The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT) increased competition in the electric generating sector by creating new entities that can generate and sell electricity at wholesale without being regulated as utilities under PUHCA. PURPA began to shift more regulatory responsibilities to the federal government, and EPACT continued that shift away from the states by creating new options for utilities and regulators to meet electricity demand.
Education Vouchers: The Constitutional Standards: The Court’s decisions permit a limited degree of public aid to be provided directly and a broader range of assistance indirectly. This report sketches the constitutional standards that apply to public aid to sectarian schools and especially to programs of indirect assistance such as education vouchers. It also summarizes recent significant state court decisions involving vouchers.
Kosovo and NATO: Selected Issues of International Law: No Description Available.
The Law of Church and State: The Proposed Religious Freedom Amendment, H.J. Res. 78: This report summarizes legislative developments on the proposal and briefly analyzes its likely legal effect if added to the Constitution.
Legislative Prayer and School Prayer: The Constitutional Difference: Congressional Research Service (CRS) report entailing the Constitutional difference between legislative prayer and school prayer. Topics include, descriptions of both types of prayer, their distinctions, and a conclusion on the matter.
Legislative Prayer and School Prayer: The Constitutional Difference: The Supreme Court's decisions holding government-sponsored prayer in the public schools to violate the First Amendment's establishment clause but prayer in legislative assemblies to be constitutional are sometimes lifted up as contradictory. This report summarizes the relevant decisions and identifies the distinctions the Court has drawn between the two situations.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act: Its Rise, Fall, and Current Status: This report briefly summarizes Employment Division, Oregon Department of Human Resources v. Smith, the legislative history of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the Supreme Court's decision in City of Boerne, Texas v. Flores, and RFRA's current legal status, and notes the introduction of the Religious Liberty Protection Act (RLPA).
The Religious Freedom Amendment: H.J. Res. 78, As Reported by the House Judiciary Committee: This report details the legislative, political, and legal contexts of H.J.Res 78 (Religious Freedom Amendment) and analyzes its legal effect.
Caribbean Basin Enhancement Legislation: Legislation provides Caribbean countries similar tariff benefits as Mexico under the Caribbean and Central American Relief and Economic Stabilization Act. A senate bill provides relief to the hurricane affected countries of Central America. The senate bill is more restrictive than the House bill in the scope of tariff benefits offered.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Reauthorization Legislation: An Overview: CRS Report for Congress entailing information about The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reauthorization legislation. Topics include, legislation within the 105th Congress, local relief, educational improvements, allocation formulas, etc..
English as the Official Language of the United States: An Overview: This report provides background on contemporary efforts to declare English the official language, a review of selected issues raised by official English proposals in Congress, and a summary of arguments that have been advanced in favor of and in opposition to such proposals.
Women in the United States Congress: This report revises an August 1995 CRS Report on Women in Congress and identifies the committee assignments, dates of service, and districts of the 176 women Members of Congress.
Appropriations for FY1999: An Overview: This is a funding level summary of each of the 13 annual appropriation acts for FY1999 appears in the summaries of annual appropriations spending section of this report.
Vocational Education: Legislation to Reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act: This report presents background on the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act, provides a funding history of the Act, and tracks and analyzes legislation during the 105 Congress to revise and reauthorize the Perkins Act. Specifically the report th examines H.R. 1853 as passed by the House and H.R. 1385 as passed by the Senate. Key issues include whether and how to change state and substate formulas; what percentage of funds to reserve for statewide activities and administration; and how best to ensure services for “special populations,” such as students with disabilities. The report will be updated as legislative action warrants.
House Rules Affecting Committees: This report identifies and summarizes these and other rules and directives affecting committee powers, authority, activities, and operations.
Federal Land Management: Appeals and Litigation: The Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Land Management in the Department of the Interior each currently have a system of administrative appeals for moat agency land management decisions. Critics assert that administrative and judicial appeals are stopping or unacceptably slowing the decision-making processes and the use of federal lands and resources; that many appeals are "frivolous" and brought for the purpose of frustrating rather than improving land management actions, and that appeals greatly increase the costs of management
THE FORAGE IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 1997: AN ANALYSIS OF H.R. 2493: This report analyzes most of the provisions of H.R 2493, which addresses the grazing programs of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service (FS).
Habitat Modification and the Endangered Species Act: The Sweet Home Decision: This report discusses the Endangered Species Act, the regulation of the Fish and Wildlife Service defining "harm" for purposes of the "take" prohibitions of the Endangered Species Act.
The Role of Designation of Critical Habitat under the Endangered Species Act: On June 14th, 1999, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) called for public comment on its current procedures for designating critical habitat. In addition, a proposal is before the Senate (S.1100) to move the time at which critical habitat must be designated for a species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) from being (basically) concurrent with the listing of the species to the time a recovery plan is finalized for that species. This report is written as background for considering the current legislative proposal and the FWS notice and may be updated as circumstances warrant.
Statutory Modifications of the Application of NEPA: From time to time, Congress has considered the operation of the National Environmental Policy Act. While Congress has amended the statute itself only twice since its enactment, Congress has often enacted provisions that modify the application of the Act or specify the extent of the documents that need be prepared in particular instances or contexts. This report collects and lists examples of such provisions.
The "Timber Rider": Section 2001 of the Rescissions Act: the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act, became law. Section 2001, "The Emergency Salvage Timber Sale Program," is known as the "Salvage Rider" or the "Timber Rider." The measure directs the sale of timber from national forests managed by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Forest Service and from forests managed by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The law provides for three types of timber sales
Endangered Species Act Amendments: An Analysis of S. 1180 and H.R. 2351: Because of wide-spread interest in possible amendments to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), CRS has received numerous requests for an analysis and critique of S.1180 and H.R. 2351. This report analyzes those bills. HR. 2351 was introduced on July 31, 1997 and S. 1180 on September 16, 1997. Each bill is discussed under various topic headings. The Senate bill will be described first, since it has been reported.
The Abandoned Mine Land Fund: Grants Distribution and Issues: The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA, P.L. 95-87), enacted in 1977, established reclamation standards for all coal surface mining operations, and for the surface effects of underground mining. It also established the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) program to promote the reclamation of sites mined and abandoned prior to the enactment of SMCRA. To finance reclamation of abandoned mine sites, the legislation established fees on coal production. These collections are divided into federal and state shares; subject to annual appropriation, AML funds are distributed annually to states with approved reclamation programs. This report describes the distribution of these funds and the various issues that arise from said distribution.
Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice: This report provides an overview of constitutional provisions, procedure, and practice of impeachment.
Crime Control Assistance Through the Byrne Programs: No Description Available.
Disaster Mitigation Bills in the 106th Congress: H.R. 707, S. 1691 Compared: The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act authorizes the President to declare that an emergency or major disaster exists that overwhelms state and local resources. Legislation before the 106th Congress (H.R. 707 and S. 1691) would, among other matters, amend the Act to: (1) fund hazard mitigation projects designed to reduce future disaster losses; (2) add conditions to assistance; and (3) consolidate provisions governing the distribution of aid to disaster victims. This report compares provisions of the two bills, and will be updated as legislative action occurs.
Air Quality and Transportation Enhancement Provisions in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991: This report describes how the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) and enhancement programs function, examines the policy issues surrounding them, and summarizes relevant provisions in major legislation to reauthorize ISTEA in the 105th Congress.
Air Quality and Transportation Enhancement Provisions in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991: Federal funding to assist states in addressing the environmental impacts of surface transportation is a major issue for the second session of the 105th Congress. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 (P.L. 102-240) authorized a total of $155 billion for transportation projects from FY1992 to FY1997. This report describes how the Congrestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) and enhancement programs function, examines the policy issues surrounding them, and summarizes relevant provisions in major legislation to reauthorize ISTEA in the 105th Congress.
Defense Cleanup and Environmental Programs: Authorization and Appropriations for FY2000: Although Congress authorizes most federal programs for multiple years, it annually authorizes programs for national defense as well as appropriating funding for them each fiscal year. Of the activities traditionally authorized and funded, the Department of Defense (DOD) administers the following six environmental programs: environmental restoration, compliance, cleanup at base closure sites, pollution prevention, environmental technology, and natural resource conservation.
Environmental Protection: Defense-Related Programs: The Department of Defense (DOD) operates six environmental programs that address cleanup of past contamination at military facilities, compliance with environmental laws and regulations that apply to current activities, cleanup at military bases being closed, pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, and environmental technology. In addition, the Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for managing defense nuclear waste generated from the past production of atomic materials used to construct nuclear weapons and for remediating contaminated sites. For FY1999, the Administration has requested a total of $10. 14 billion for DOD and DOE's defense-related environmental activities, which represents about 3.7% of the total request of $271.6 billion for national defense and is roughly 1.6% below the FY1998 funding level of $l0.30 billion.
Agricultural Marketing and Regulatory Provisions of the 1996 Farm Bill: The Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127), signed into law on April 4, for the first time grants the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) broad-based authority to establish national generic promotion ("check-off") programs for virtually any agricultural commodity. Formerly, individual programs first had to be authorized expressly by Congress. The new law also explicitly authorizes the establishment of new check-off programs for rapeseed and canola, kiwifruit, and popcorn. Other provisions require USDA to establish a new meat and poultry inspection advisory committee; deal with the collection of user fees for the inspection of agricultural imports; and authorize new guidelines to protect horses being transported to slaughter facilities, among other things.
Animal Agriculture: Issues for the 106th Congress: This report discusses a variety of animal agriculture issues that generated debate during the 106th Congress, including low livestock prices, especially for hogs. Economic difficulties have revived questions such as the impacts of consolidation in the livestock industry, and the price effects of animal imports from Canada and Mexico. This report also discusses a number of legislative proposals to assist livestock producers and enforce sanitary and phytosanitary standards, as well as continuing trade disputes and negotiations with China, the European Union, New Zealand, and Australia.
Farm Commodity Legislation: Chronology, 1933-98: Farm commodity programs were a product of the Great Depression. This report discusses the history of farm commodity legislation. Since 1933, Congress has required the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to administer a variety of programs providing price support and income protection for the nations farmers.
Wheat, Feed Grains, Cotton, Rice, and Oilseeds Provisions of the Enacted 1996 Farm Bill: No Description Available.
Alternative Transportation Fuels: Oil Import, Highway Tax, and Implementation Issues: This report discusses three major pieces of legislation designed to, among other objectives, foster the development, introduction, and diffusion of alternative nonpetroleum fuels into the U.S. transportation sector. These three pieces of legislation are the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, and the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
Mandates Information Act: Action in the 106th Congress: No Description Available.
Mandates Information Act: Implications for Congressional Action on Legislation Containing Private Sector Mandates: No Description Available.
Tax Code Termination Act: A Fact Sheet: No Description Available.
Environmental, Health, and Safety Tradeoffs: A Discussion of Policymaking Opportunities and Constraints: This report discusses the implications of cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment in the context of congressional and administrative decision-making structures. It identifies constraints on flexible decision-making and some implications of trying to overcome them.
Environmental Protection: How Much it Costs and Who Pays: This report discusses a recurring issue in environmental policy: the cost of pollution control imposed on individuals, businesses, and governments.
Environmental Reauthorizations and Regulatory Reform: From the 104th Congress to the 105th: The 104th Congress pursued efforts to reform environmental regulations on several fronts: (1) revising regulatory decision making processes; (2) attaching specific reforms to funding bills; (3) establishing a House corrections day calendar of bills addressing specific regulatory problems; and (4) incorporating regulatory reforms into individual program reauthorization bills. The 105th Congress has pursued regulatory reform in four primary directions: (1) proposals to establish a comprehensive cost-benefit/risk analysis framework for regulatory programs, (2) private property “takings” initiatives, (3) amendments and reforms directed at individual environmental statutes, and (4) oversight of environmental programs.
Environmental Reauthorizations and Regulatory Reform: From the 104th Congress to the 106th: The 104th Congress pursued efforts to reform environmental regulations on several fronts: (1) revising regulatory decision making processes; (2) attaching specific reforms to funding bills; (3) establishing a House corrections day calendar of bills addressing specific regulatory problems; and (4) incorporating regulatory reforms into individual program reauthorization bills. The 105th Congress has pursued regulatory reform in four primary directions: (1) proposals to establish a comprehensive cost-benefit/risk analysis framework for regulatory programs, (2) private property “takings” initiatives, (3) amendments and reforms directed at individual environmental statutes, and (4) oversight of environmental programs.
Environmental Reauthorizations and Regulatory Reform: Recent Developments: If general regulatory reform bills were enacted, debates on statute-specific reauthorizations could shift from regulatory reforms to the substantive regulatory requirements of each Act. In this case, regulatory reform could consist of proposals to modify statutory requirements to reduce costs to the private sector and State and local governments, to increase flexibility, and to reduce or compensate regulatory impacts on the value of private property. At issue would be a series of potential tradeoffs, for example among efficiency of environmental regulations, national consistency versus local flexibility, protection of private property rights, and degrees of health and environmental protection.
DOE Laboratory Restructuring Legislation: Interest in restructuring (including eliminating) the Department of Energy (DOE) and its laboratories has increased since the end of the Cold War, and especially since the beginning of the 104th Congress. A number of non-legislative proposals and activities to this end are reviewed, including DOE's own proposals for "alignment and downsizing" of the Department and its laboratories.
DOE Laboratory Restructuring Legislation in the 104th Congress: Interest in restructuring (including eliminating) the Department of Energy (DOE) and its laboratories has increased since the end of the Cold War, and especially since the beginning of the 104th Congress. A number of non-legislative proposals and activities to this end are reviewed, including DOE's own proposals for "alignment and downsizing" of the Department and its laboratories.
Appropriations for FY2000: District of Columbia: This report
The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA): The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) of 1930 was enacted in 1930 to promote fair trading practices in the fruit and vegetable industry. Sellers must ship the quantity and quality of produce specified in their contracts, and buyers must accept shipments that meet contract specifications. PACA protections benefit not only growers who are generally sellers , but also a range of parties who are both buyers and sellers, including truckers, packers, processors,
Law of the Sea: the International Seabed Authority - Its Status and U.S. Participation Therein: The 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, as amended by the 1994 Agreement Relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the U.N. Convention, entered into force, on November 16, 1994. That action initiated establishment of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), composed of all States parties to the Convention, to administer the seabed mining regime set forth in the Convention/Agreement
The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997: An Overview: No Description Available.
Foreign Military Troops in the United States: This report discusses to what extent and why military personnel and forces from foreign nations are sometimes stationed in the United States

Congressional Research Service Reports - 366 Matching Results

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