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Agricultural Wetlands: Current Programs and Legislative Proposals

Description: Amending Federal laws to protect wetlands, especially agricultural wetlands, is a contentious issue for the 104th Congress. Critics contend that current programs are excessive in their reach and unfairly restrict private landowners. Supporters counter that these programs are critical if the Nation is to achieve the stated goal of no-net-loss of wetlands. The two major statutes under which agricultural wetlands are protected are swampbuster, enacted in the Agriculture, Food, Trade, and Conservat… more
Date: January 4, 1996
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A. & Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agreements to Promote Fishery Conservation and Management in International Waters

Description: Declining fish populations threaten an important food source. Natural catastrophes, pollution, habitat destruction, and overfishing contribute to the depletion of fish stocks. Overexploitation of fishery resources often occurs when management allows expanding and increasingly efficient fishing fleets to continue harvesting dwindling supplies. Although prevalent, overexploitation is not universal and its extent varies among areas, species, and fisheries. This report discusses the issue of overfi… more
Date: January 5, 1996
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicles: Energy, Environment, and Development Issues

Description: This report reviews several issues relating to alternative fuels and vehicles, mainly to combat dependence on petroleum imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report discusses the advantages and drawbacks of various alternative fuels and vehicles, as well as related legislation.
Date: January 17, 1996
Creator: Yacobucci, Brent D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The "Timber Rider": Section 2001 of the Rescissions Act

Description: 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
Date: February 22, 1996
Creator: Baldwin, Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 1996 Farm Bill: Comparisons of Selected Provisions with Previous Law

Description: Final congressional approval was given to H.R. 2854, the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act, otherwise known as the "1996 farm bill," on March 28, 1996. President Clinton signed the bill into law on April 4, 1996 (P.L. 104-127). In tabular format, this CRS report lays out in descriptive, rather than legislative language, the major provisions of the new farm bill in contrast to preceding law.
Date: April 4, 1996
Creator: Library of Congress. Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division. Food and Agriculture Section.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China, Congress, and Sanctions - Findings of a Workshop-Seminar

Description: The People's Republic of China (PRC)'s provocative use of military force in the Taiwan Strait has appeared to subside, but not before convincing many in the Congress that the PRC regime continues to flout international norms sensitive to the United States. In addition to challenging stability in the Taiwan Strait, the PRC is seen recently to undermine important U.S. interests regarding nuclear proliferation, intellectual property rights, and missile proliferation. As a result, many in the Congr… more
Date: April 17, 1996
Creator: Sutter, Robert G. & Rennack, Dianne E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Marketing and Regulatory Provisions of the 1996 Farm Bill

Description: 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, a… more
Date: April 30, 1996
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996: A Summary

Description: The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is the product of legislative efforts stretching back well over a decade and stimulated to passage in part by the tragedies in Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center. This report summarizes the six titles of the Act, its sources, and related legislation.
Date: June 3, 1996
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Effects of Flat Taxes and Other Proposals on Housing: An Overview

Description: Studies have estimated that some of these revisions would cause a decline in demand for houses and significant reduction in house prices--perhaps in excess of 15 percent. These studies, however, presumed a fixed supply of housing; even a limited supply response would greatly decrease predicted asset price effects. Supply response is likely to be large in the long run and not insignificant in the short run. Effects on housing demand might also be mitigated by increases in savings rates and lower… more
Date: June 17, 1996
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Glass-Steagall Act Modernization?

Description: This report covers the debate over the reexamination of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 in the 104th Congress. There is speculation the banks are finding loopholes that allow them to redefine some of their services as "securities" without directly violating the Glass-Steagall Act.
Date: August 13, 1996
Creator: Jackson, William
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Export Administration Legislation

Description: This report discusses briefly the major export control provisions that existed under EAA-1979 and the current authorities for regulating exports. It then summarizes the major export control provisions of the proposed EAA-1996 and discusses some aspects of the bill that may be debated in Congress and the press. Highlighted are implications for nonproliferation policy, for national security and foreign policy, and for business; other topics covered are foreign boycott provisions, criminal and civ… more
Date: August 27, 1996
Creator: Harrison, Glennon J.; Shuey, Robert; Bowman, Steven R.; Grimmett, Jeanne J. & Davis, Zachary S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Alternative Transportation Fuels: Oil Import, Highway Tax, and Implementation Issues

Description: 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.
Date: August 30, 1996
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pesticide Legislation: Food Quality Protection Act of 1996

Description: The 104th congress enacted significant changes to the Federal Insecticide, fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), governing U.S. sale and use of pesticide products, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which limits pesticide residues on food. The vehicle of these changes was H.R. 1627, the "Food Quality Protection Act of 1996" (FQPA), enacted August 3, 1996, as Public Law 104-170. Under FIFRA, the new law will facilitate registrations and reregistrations of pesticides for spec… more
Date: September 11, 1996
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Law of the Sea: the International Seabed Authority - Its Status and U.S. Participation Therein

Description: 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
Date: September 16, 1996
Creator: Browne, Marjorie Ann
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Helium Program: The Reaction Over an Inert Gas

Description: The CRS report describes the battle with natural gas companies on helium gas, being wasted, and released into the environment. Incentives were put in place for natural gas companies sell this helium to the government and for it to be stored in a government facility. Consequently, this also brought up controversy for why funding is being used to store a surplus of helium. Congress would debate on whether government involvement was the best option and a consensus was reached to fund the National … more
Date: October 9, 1996
Creator: Mielke, James E
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Women in the United States Congress

Description: 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.
Date: October 10, 1996
Creator: Amer, Mildred L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Adoption: Interethnic Placement Legislation In the 104th Congress

Description: This report discusses the legislation by the 104th Congress to increase overall adoption rates by prohibiting racial and other discriminatory practices in the adoption process. The report identifies this as a provision of the Small Business Job Protection Act, which will also increase minimum wage.
Date: October 14, 1996
Creator: Spar, Karen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Economic Sanctions Through 1996

Description: Since the early 1960s, the United States has imposed a range of economic sanctions on Cuba, the most prominent of which is a comprehensive embargo prohibiting trade with Cuba. This Congressional Research Service report first provides an overview of U.S.-Cuba relations and U.S. policy toward Cuba. It then examines the history and current legislative and executive authorities of the various components of U.S. sanctions against Cuba, including aid, trade, and other restrictions.
Date: November 21, 1996
Creator: Rennack, Dianne E. & Sullivan, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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