Congressional Research Service Reports - 183 Matching Results

Search Results

Revenue Reconciliation Directives to the Senate Finance Committee in Congressional Budget Resolutions: This report discusses the revenue reconciliation directives that varied in their time frame, from single-year coverage (in the FY1976, FY1981, and FY1990 budget resolutions) to 11-year coverage (in the FY2002 and FY2004 budget resolutions)
Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs: Some policymakers, believing that disparities in broadband access across American society could have adverse economic and social consequences on those left behind, assert that the federal government should play a more active role to avoid a “digital divide” in broadband access. One approach is for the federal government to provide financial assistance to support broadband deployment in underserved areas. Others, however, believe that federal assistance for broadband deployment is not appropriate. Some opponents question the reality of the “digital divide,” and argue that federal intervention in the broadband marketplace would be premature and, in some cases, counterproductive.
State Department and Related Agencies: FY2006 Appropriations and FY2007 Request: No Description Available.
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: FY2007 Appropriations: This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It summarizes the status of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity.
Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2007 Appropriations: This report considers the Agriculture and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The report compares and contrasts the Senate and House versions of the bill in terms of budgeting. Moreover, both bills reject the termination of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
Budget Resolution Enforcement: This report briefly discusses the annual budget resolution, which sets forth Congress's budget plan for a period of at least five fiscal years. It includes total levels of new budget authority, outlays, revenues, the deficit, and the public debt for each of the fiscal years covered. Once a budget resolution is adopted, Congress may enforce its provisions, through points of order, at several levels: the total levels of spending and revenues, the level of resources allocated to committees, and the level of resources allocated to the appropriations subcommittees.
The Spending Pipeline: Stages of Federal Spending: This report briefly outlines the process for federal government spending, a multi-step process in which budget authority is enacted and obligated, and outlays are generated.
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.
Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs: This report discusses the "digital divide," a term that has been used to characterize a gap between those Americans who use or have access to telecommunications technologies (e.g., telephones, computers, the Internet) and those who do not. It particularly discusses one important subset of the digital divide debate concerns high speed Internet access or broadband.
The Budget for Fiscal Year 2006: This report discusses the President's fiscal year (FY) 2007 budget (February 2006) included a revised FY2006 deficit estimate of $423 billion, $72 billion larger than its previous estimate (July 2005) and $53 billion larger than its original deficit estimate in February 2005.
Defense: FY2007 Authorization and Appropriations: This report discusses relevant congressional actions that lead to the passing of Defense budgets for FY2007.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Estimated Allocations: This report contains two tables that show estimated Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) allocations to the states. Table 1 shows amounts proposed by the President, House of Representatives, and Senate for FY2007, while Table 2 shows estimated state allocations at other hypothetical increments.
FY2007 Appropriations for State and Local Homeland Security: This report is an overview of the Administration’s budget request for the following seven homeland security programs designed to provide assistance to state and local first responders — firefighters, emergency medical personnel, emergency managers, and law enforcement officers.
The Administration of the Federal Family Education Loan and William D. Ford Direct Loan Programs: Background and Provisions: This report discusses the history and current status of federal student loan programs. Specifically, the report focuses on the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and the William D. Ford Direct Loan (DL). Moreover, the report highlights differences in the two programs such as that the FFEL is financed by private lenders, while the DL is financed by the federal government.
Running Deficits: Positives and Pitfalls: This report discusses how deficit finance can help governments manage their economies and how large and persistent deficits can lead to severe economic problems.
Adult Education and Literacy: Overview and Reauthorization Proposals of the 109th Congress: This report discusses the reauthorization of federal adult education and literacy programs being considered by the 109th Congress. The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) authorized these programs through FY2003. The General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) provided a one-year extension of authorization through FY2004, and annual appropriations have continued AEFLA programs since.
Defense: FY2007 Authorization and Appropriations: A conference agreement on the FY2007 defense authorization bill, H.R. 5122/S. 2766, is expected soon, and could be voted on in the House as early as September 15. Key issues in the conference have included whether to promote the head of the National Guard to four-star rank and whether to approve multiyear procurement of the F-22 fighter aircraft. On June 22, the Senate passed on its version of the FY2007 defense authorization, S. 2766. The Senate rejected two amendments on Iraq policy, one by Senator Kerry calling for withdrawal of most forces by July 1, 2007, and another by Senator Levin calling for a phased reduction of troops to begin this year. The House passed its version of the authorization, H.R. 5122, on May 11. The House bill authorizes $513 billion for national defense, equal to the request. The Senate bill authorizes $517.7 billion.
Homeland Security: Coast Guard Operations - Background and Issues for Congress: This report discusses the Coast Guard, which is the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security. For FY2007, the Coast Guard is requesting a total of about $4.5 billion for missions defined in The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296) as the Coast Guard’s homeland security missions. This equates to about 54% of the Coast Guard’s total requested FY2007 budget. The Coast Guard’s homeland security operations pose several potential issues for Congress, including adequacy of Coast Guard resources for performing both homeland security and non-homeland security missions, and Coast Guard coordination with other agencies involved in maritime homeland security.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2590): Overview and Comparison with H.R. 5060: In an attempt to expand oversight of federal spending, including earmarks, S. 2590 would provide the public with access to an online database containing information about entities that are awarded federal grants, loans, and contracts. This report summarizes S. 2590, compares it to H.R. 5060, and outlines the arguments in favor of the bill and those critical of it. The final section discusses the implications of using the Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS) and the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) to populate the bill’s proposed database.
The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction: This report discusses the following aspects of the congressional appropriations process: the annual appropriations cycle; types of appropriations measures; spending ceilings for appropriations associated with the annual budget resolution; and the relationship between authorization and appropriation measures.
Foreign Operations (House)/State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (Senate): FY2007 Appropriations: This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House Subcommittee on Foreign Operations and the Senate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant.
Military Base Closures and the Impact Aid Program for Education: This report provides a brief overview of the Impact Aid program, including the calculation of Impact Aid payments to local educational agencies (LEA), and an overview of the Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC) recommendations. This is followed by a discussion of the potential effects of the BRAC recommendations on LEAs that will both lose and gain students as a result of the changes. The report concludes with a brief discussion of actions that have been taken by LEAs in anticipation of large influxes of federally connected students.
Defense: FY2007 Authorization and Appropriations: The Senate began floor debate on the FY2007 defense appropriations bill, H.R. 5631 on August 1, but it did not complete the bill before adjourning for the August recess. The Senate plans to resume action on September 5. As reported by the appropriations committee, the bill provided $453.5 billion for defense, including $50 billion in appropriations for overseas operations. The total is $9.1 billion less than the Administration requested. In floor action, the Senate added substantial amounts to the $50 billion in emergency spending, including $13.1 billion to reequip units returning from abroad and $1.8 billion for border security.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act: This report is intended to provide an overview of the Adequate Yearly Process (AYP) concept and several related issues, a description of the AYP provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, and an analysis of the implementation of these provisions by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the states. It will be updated when major administrative actions are taken by ED, or substantial new data on state implementation become available.
The Budget for Fiscal Year 2006: Much higher than expected receipts reduced the estimated deficits for fiscal year 2006 in both the Administrations Mid-session review and in the Congressional Budget Office's The Budget and Economic Outlook: An Update. These were over $100 billion below the Administration's previous estimate and $70 billion below the Congressional Budget Office's previous baseline estimate. This report contains information on the background and analysis for the federal budget in the fiscal year 2006, the financial situation at that time, budgeting tools, budgetary actions, outlays, receipts, deficits, and related materials.
Defense Transformation: Background and Oversight Issues for Congress: This report addresses defense transformation from a DOD-wide perspective. The Bush Administration identified transformation as a major goal for the Department of Defense (DOD) soon after taking office and has since worked to refine and implement its plans for defense transformation. Defense transformation can be defined as large-scale, discontinuous, and possibly disruptive changes in military weapons, concepts of operations (i.e., approaches to warfighting) and organization. The issue for the 109th Congress is how to take the concept of defense transformation into account in assessing and acting on Administration proposals for DOD.
Iraq: Recent Developments in Reconstruction Assistance: Large-scale assistance programs are being undertaken by the United States following the war with Iraq. To fund such programs, in April 2003, Congress approved a $2.48 billion Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) in the FY2003 Supplemental Appropriation. Additional and similar funding is also outlined in this report. Many reconstruction efforts in Iraq -- including infrastructure projects, the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces, and general political and societal reinforcement -- are underway, but security concerns have slowed progress considerably.
Iraq: Recent Developments in Reconstruction Assistance: Following years of authoritarian rule and economic sanctions, the United States and the international community agreed in the spring of 2003 that efforts should be made to rehabilitate economic infrastructure and introduce representative government to post-war Iraq, among other objectives. More recently, the Bush Administration has asserted a “victory” strategy composed of eight objectives, five of which are to: transition Iraq to security self-reliance, help Iraqis form a national compact for democratic government, help Iraq build government capacity and provide essential services, help Iraq strengthen its economy, and help Iraq strengthen the rule of law and promote civil rights. To meet these ends, a large-scale assistance program has been undertaken by the United States in Iraq. This report describes recent developments in this assistance effort.
Iraq: Recent Developments in Reconstruction Assistance: Following years of authoritarian rule and economic sanctions, the United States and the international community agreed in the spring of 2003 that efforts should be made to rehabilitate economic infrastructure and introduce representative government to post-war Iraq, among other objectives. More recently, the Bush Administration has asserted a “victory” strategy composed of eight objectives, five of which are to: transition Iraq to security self-reliance, help Iraqis form a national compact for democratic government, help Iraq build government capacity and provide essential services, help Iraq strengthen its economy, and help Iraq strengthen the rule of law and promote civil rights. To meet these ends, a large-scale assistance program has been undertaken by the United States in Iraq. This report describes recent developments in this assistance effort.
Navy Aircraft Carriers: Proposed Retirement of USS John F. Kennedy -- Issues and Options for Congress: The Navy's FY2007 budget proposes retiring the conventionally-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and reducing the size of the carrier force from 12 ships to 11. One potential issue for Congress is whether the carrier force should include 12 ships or some other number. If a carrier is to be retired in the near term so as to reduce the carrier force to 11 ships, a second potential issue is whether that carrier should be the Kennedy or another ship. Potential alternatives to the Kennedy include the conventionally-powered Kitty Hawk and the nuclear-powered carriers Enterprise and Vinson. A third potential issue for Congress concerns the relative military advantages of different homeporting arrangements for the carrier force.
Navy Aircraft Carriers: Proposed Retirement of USS John F. Kennedy - Issues and Options for Congress: This report discusses issue for Congress for FY2007, as it was for FY2006, is whether to approve, reject, or modify the proposal to retire the navy aircraft carrier Kennedy and reduce the carrier force to 11 ships.
Budget Reconciliation Legislation in 2005-2006 Under the FY2006 Budget Resolution: This report consists of the budget reconciliation legislation in 2005-2006 under the FY 2006 budget resolution.
V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft: The V-22 Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft, capable of vertical or short take off and landing, with forward flight like a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. The MV-22 is the Marine Corps' top aviation priority. Marine Corps leaders believe that the Osprey will provide them an unprecedented capability to quickly and decisively project power from well over the horizon. The V-22 program has been under development for over 25 years. Safety and maintenance concerns have arisen over this period. Supporters tout the V-22's potential operational capabilities relative to the helicopters it will replace. It will fly faster, farther, and with more payload than the currently used machinery. Detractors tend to emphasize the V-22's long development schedule, its three fatal accidents, and its high cost relative to the helicopters it will replace.
V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft: No Description Available.
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Hurricane Katrina Relief: In response to the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, the 109th Congress enacted two FY2005 emergency supplemental appropriations bills, which together provided $62.3 billion for emergency response and recovery needs. This CRS report summarizes federal disaster assistance funding legislation in the 109th Congress and presents some information on federal expenditures and obligations for disaster recovery activities.
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Hurricane Katrina Relief: This CRS report summarizes federal disaster assistance funding legislation in the 109th Congress and presents some information on federal expenditures and obligations for disaster recovery activities.
Homeland Security Research and Development Funding, Organization, and Oversight: The Homeland Security Act consolidated some research and development (R&D) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), whose FY2007 R&D budget (excluding management/procurement) was requested at $1.1 billion, about 10% less than FY2006, and represents the first decline in DHS's R&D funding since the agency started funding R&D in 2002. DHS is mandated to coordinate all federal agency homeland security R&D, which was requested at about $5.1 billion. This report lists related legislation and policy issues relating to DHS's R&D programs.
Homeland Security: Coast Guard Operations - Background and Issues for Congress: This report discusses the Coast Guard, which is the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security. For FY2007, the Coast Guard is requesting a total of about $4.5 billion for missions defined in The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296) as the Coast Guard’s homeland security missions. This equates to about 54% of the Coast Guard’s total requested FY2007 budget. The Coast Guard’s homeland security operations pose several potential issues for Congress, including adequacy of Coast Guard resources for performing both homeland security and non-homeland security missions, and Coast Guard coordination with other agencies involved in maritime homeland security.
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress: The Navy in February 2006 proposed to maintain in coming years a fleet of 313 ships, including, among other things, 11 aircraft carriers, 48 attack submarines (SSNs), 88 cruisers and destroyers, 55 Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs), 31 amphibious ships, and a Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future), or MPF(F), squadron with 12 new-construction amphibious and sealift-type ships. The Navy says that for its shipbuilding plans to be affordable and executable, the Navy needs to control certain non-shipbuilding expenditures and build ships within estimated costs. The Navy's shipbuilding plans raise potential issues regarding the shipbuilding industrial base, particularly in the areas of the submarine design and engineering base, and the surface combatant construction base.
United Nations System Funding: Congressional Issues: This report tracks the process by which Congress provides the funding for U.S. assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the United Nations, its agencies, and U.N. peacekeeping operation accounts, as well as for U.S. voluntary contributions to U.N. system programs and funds. It includes information on the President's request and the congressional response, as well as congressional initiatives during this legislative process. Basic information is provided to help the reader understand this process.
United Nations System Funding: Congressional Issues: No Description Available.
Defense: FY2007 Authorization and Appropriations: The Senate began floor debate on the FY2007 defense appropriations bill, H.R. 5631 on August 1, but it did not complete the bill before adjourning for the August recess. The Senate plans to resume action on September 5. As reported by the appropriations committee, the bill provided $453.5 billion for defense, including $50 billion in appropriations for overseas operations. The total is $9.1 billion less than the Administration requested. In floor action, the Senate added substantial amounts to the $50 billion in emergency spending, including $13.1 billion to reequip units returning from abroad and $1.8 billion for border security.
Homeland Security Grants: Evolution of Program Guidance and Grant Allocation Methods: This CRS report explains the evolving administrative guidance that governs the three homeland security assistance programs, discusses the changing DHS requirements for grant applications and subsequent reporting by recipients, describes the DHS grant allocation methods, and identifies pertinent oversight questions that may be of interest to Congress.
Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy, August 3, 2006: This report discusses congressional interest in the pace of U.S. technological advancement due to its influence on U.S. economic growth, productivity, and international competitiveness. The proper role of the federal government in technology development and the competitiveness of U.S. industry continues to be a topic of congressional debate.
Technology Transfer: Use of Federally Funded Research and Development: No Description Available.
Budget Reconciliation Legislation in 2005-2006 Under the FY2006 Budget Resolution: The FY2006 budget resolution, which was agreed to by the House and Senate on April 28, 2005, included reconciliation instructions for: (1) an omnibus bill to reduce mandatory outlays by about $35 billion over a five-year period, covering FY2006-FY2010; (2) a bill to reduce revenues by $70 billion over the same period; and (3) a bill to increase the limit on the public debt by $781 billion. Congressional action on the resultant reconciliation legislation, while ultimately successful, was marked by controversy and delay. As of May 2006, congressional action on the reconciliation legislation called for in the FY2006 budget resolution was completed.
Budget Reconciliation Legislation in 2005-2006 Under the FY2006 Budget Resolution: The FY2006 budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 95), which was agreed to by the House and Senate on April 28, 2005, included reconciliation instructions for: (1) an omnibus bill to reduce mandatory outlays by about $35 billion over a five-year period, covering FY2006-FY2010; (2) a bill to reduce revenues by $70 billion over the same period; and (3) a bill to increase the limit on the public debt by $781 billion.
Budget Reconciliation Legislation in 2005-2006 Under the FY2006 Budget Resolution: The FY2006 budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 95), which was agreed to by the House and Senate on April 28, 2005, included reconciliation instructions for: (1) an omnibus bill to reduce mandatory outlays by about $35 billion over a five-year period, covering FY2006-FY2010; (2) a bill to reduce revenues by $70 billion over the same period; and (3) a bill to increase the limit on the public debt by $781 billion.
Defense: FY2007 Authorization and Appropriations: On July 20, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up its version of the FY2007 defense appropriations bill, H.R. 5631. Floor action is expected to begin on August 1. The Senate bill provides $453.5 billion defense programs, including $50 billion in appropriations for overseas operations. The total is $9.1 billion less than the Administration requested. Earlier, on June 20, the House passed its version of the bill. It provides $416.3 billion for defense programs, $4.1 billion below the request. The amounts in the House and Senate bills are not directly comparable, since some programs in the Senate bill are covered in the House in the Military Quality of Life/Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, H.R. 5385.
The Budget for Fiscal Year 2006: The Administration's Mid-Session Review (July 2006) had a revised deficit estimate for FY2006 of $296 billion (2.3% of gross domestic product). This was over $100 billion below the FY2006 deficit estimate in the President's FY2007 budget (February 2006). On March 17, 2005, the House and Senate adopted their respective budget resolutions for FY2006. After extensive leadership discussion, a conference reached agreement on April 28; both chambers adopted it later that day. The conference agreement included reconciliation instructions for mandatory spending reductions, tax reductions, and an increase in the statutory debt limit. This report explores these issues in full, as well as detailing additional legislation regarding the FY2006 Budget and budget resolutions.

Congressional Research Service Reports - 183 Matching Results

Search Results

Add Filters

Applied Filters