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open access

Adult Education and Family Literacy Act: Major Statutory Provisions

Description: This report summarizes the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) as the main piece of federal legislation that supports basic education for adults. Specifically, the report discusses the AEFLA in the context of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and its reauthorization under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The report also discusses the process of how states obtain grants.
Date: November 17, 2014
Creator: Collins, Benjamin
open access

Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

Description: This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, focusing particularly on the influence of the Taliban and other militant groups, and on the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This report also discusses the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, in both the short and long term, and U.S. efforts under the Obama Administration to provide military, reconstructive, and stabilization aid.
Date: January 17, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
open access

Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response

Description: This report discusses the continuing conflict in Syria including recent regime losses in confrontations with forces of the Islamic State (IS, aka the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL/ISIS) in northeastern Syria. The report also covers Syrian chemical weapons disarmament and U.S. policy.
Date: September 17, 2014
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.; Humud, Carla E. & Nikitin, Mary Beth D.
open access

Bolivia: In Brief

Description: This report provides background information on Bolivia, an analysis of its current political and economic situation, and an assessment of some key issues in Bolivian-U.S. relations.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando
open access

Child Welfare: State Plan Requirements under the Title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, and Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program

Description: The focus of this report is Title IV-E plan requirements other than those related to provision of direct financial assistance to eligible children. It also provides an overview of requirement related to children's safety, permanence, and well-being.
Date: November 17, 2014
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie
open access

Clean Water Act and Pollutant Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

Description: This report discusses the total maximum daily load (TMDL) program which regulates pollutants to ensure that water quality standards can be attained; section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires states to identify waters that are impaired by pollution, even after application of pollution controls. The report focuses on new challenges facing the TMDL program, including more complex TMDLs, larger scale impairments, and nonpoint sources.
Date: January 17, 2014
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
open access

Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This list of about 200 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: December 17, 2014
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey C.
open access

Constitutional Points of Order in the Senate

Description: In general, the Senate's presiding officer does not take the initiative in enforcing Senate rules and precedents. Instead, a Senator may raise a point of order if he or she believes the Senate is taking (or is about to take) an action that violates the rules. In most circumstances, the presiding officer rules on the point of order on advice of the Parliamentarian; that ruling is typically subject to an appeal on which the Senate votes (unless the appeal is tabled or withdrawn). Pursuant to Rule… more
Date: December 17, 2014
Creator: Heitshusen, Valerie
open access

Economic Crisis in Russia

Description: This report briefly examines the economic climate in Russia, providing background information and examining key trends. The report also briefly discusses possible next steps for the Kremlin and potential spillover effects for the United States.
Date: December 17, 2014
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
open access

Federal Aid to State and Local Governments: Select Issues Raised by a Federal Government Shutdown

Description: This report explores two grant-administration issues specifically affected by the federal shutdown. It gives an overview of federal aid to state and local governments, characteristics of federal grants and methods for disbursing the funds, grant administration issues affected by a lapse in federal funding, and potential legislative options to reduce the impact of future government shutdowns.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Keegan, Natalie
open access

The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: This report discusses concerns about food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
Date: January 17, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
open access

The Federal Minimum Wage: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)that have been amended numerous times since 1938, typically for the purpose of expanding coverage or raising the wage rate.
Date: January 17, 2014
Creator: Bradley, David H.
open access

Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2015

Description: The federal government has played an important role in supporting research and development (R&D) efforts that have led to scientific breakthroughs and new technologies, from jet aircraft and the Internet to communications satellites, shale gas extraction, and defenses against disease. However, widespread concerns about the federal debt and recent and projected federal budget deficits are driving difficult decisions about the prioritization of R&D, both in the context of the entire federal budge… more
Date: December 17, 2014
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
open access

FY2015 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability

Description: This report provides brief descriptions of the budget volumes and related documents, together with Internet addresses, Government Printing Office (GPO) stock numbers, and prices for obtaining print copies of these publications. It also explains how to find the locations of government depository libraries, which can provide both printed copies for reference use and Internet access to the online versions.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Nagel, Jared C.
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