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Abortion Services and Military Medical Facilities

Description: The purpose of this report is to describe and discuss the provisions for providing abortion services to military personnel, their dependents, and other military health care beneficiaries at military medical facilities. The report describes the history of these provisions, with particular emphasis on legislative actions. Finally, this report discusses a number of proposals to modify the law, as well as other related legislative and administrative actions.
Date: December 16, 2010
Creator: Burrelli, David F.
open access

Agricultural Disaster Assistance

Description: This report has two sections. The first provides an overview of the current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance programs: federal crop insurance, NAP payments, emergency disaster loans, the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE), and four other smaller disaster programs authorized in the 2008 farm bill. The second section reviews the recent history of emergency supplemental farm disaster assistance.
Date: September 16, 2010
Creator: Shields, Dennis A. & Chite, Ralph M.
open access

America COMPETES Act and the FY2010 Budget

Description: This report discusses in detail the America COMPETES Act, which is intended to increase the nation's investment in research and development (R&D), and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This report discusses the funding increases authorized by the act for various relevant institutions, e.g., the National Science Foundation (NSF); the act's education activities intended to enhance the skills of STEM educators; and if Congress will continue to similarly fund th… more
Date: September 16, 2010
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
open access

The Bayh-Dole Act: Selected Issues in Patent Policy and the Commercialization of Technology

Description: Congressional interest in facilitating U.S. technological innovation led to the passage of P.L. 96-517, Amendments to the Patent and Trademark Act, commonly referred to as the "Bayh-Dole Act" after its two main sponsors former Senators Robert Dole and Birch Bayh. Under this 1980 law, as amended, title to inventions made with government support is provided to the contractor if that contractor is a small business, a university, or other non-profit institution. This report discusses the rationale … more
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
open access

Business Investment and Employment Tax Incentives to Stimulate the Economy

Description: This report discusses the merit of various business tax incentives and their effectiveness in providing fiscal stimulus during the recession. The two most common measures to provide business tax incentives for new investment are investment tax credits and accelerated deductions for depreciation.
Date: September 16, 2010
Creator: Hungerford, Thomas L. & Gravelle, Jane G.
open access

Chemical Facility Security: Reauthorization, Policy Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the existing statutory authority and the regulation implementing this authority. It describes several policy issues raised in previous debates regarding chemical facility security. The report identifies policy options that might resolve components of these issues. Finally, legislation introduced in the 111th Congress is discussed.
Date: February 16, 2010
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
open access

Cluster Munitions: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: Cluster munitions are air-dropped or ground-launched weapons that release a number of smaller submunitions intended to kill enemy personnel or destroy vehicles. This report discusses the two major international initiatives that address cluster munitions: the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and negotiations under the UN Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Currently, the Obama Administration has reiterated U.S. opposition to the CCM, … more
Date: September 16, 2010
Creator: Feickert, Andrew & Kerr, Paul K.
open access

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Background and Current Developments

Description: This report discusses the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans all nuclear explosion and was in 1996 adopted by the U.N. General Assembly but rejected by the U.S. Senate in 1997. This report discusses the Obama Administration's stated goal of pursuing U.S. ratification of the CTBT, although the Administration has mainly focused on securing Senate consent to ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). This report also discusses other nuclear weapons-r… more
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Medalia, Jonathan
open access

Congressional Official Mail Costs

Description: The congressional franking privilege allows Members of Congress to send official mail via the U.S. Postal Service at government expense. This report provides information and analysis on the costs of franked mail in the House of Representatives and Senate.
Date: August 16, 2010
Creator: Glassman, Matthew Eric
open access

The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11

Description: This report analyzes war funding for the Defense Department and tracks funding for USAID and VA Medical funding. Information on costs is useful to Congress to assess the FY2010 Supplemental for war costs for the Department of Defense (DOD) and State/USAID, FY2011 war requests, conduct oversight of past war costs, and consider the longer-term costs implications of the buildup of troops in Afghanistan and potential problems in the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
Date: July 16, 2010
Creator: Belasco, Amy
open access

CRS Issue Statement on Canada

Description: This report discusses about the CRS Issue on Canada. It points out about U.S. and Canada's cooperation in international security and Political Issue, both bilaterally and through numerous international organizations.
Date: July 16, 2010
Creator: Ek, Carl
open access

Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances

Description: This report covers the contentious travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba from the 1960s to the present time. It includes background on the restrictions, enforcement of restrictions, and arguments for or against maintaining travel restrictions. It also provides background on relevant legislative initiatives during the 106th through the 111th Congresses.
Date: April 16, 2010
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
open access

Debarment and Suspension of Government Contractors: An Overview of the Law Including Recently Enacted and Proposed Amendments

Description: As a general rule, government agencies contract with the lowest qualified responsible bidder or offeror. Debarment and suspension are among the techniques that government agencies use to ensure that they contract with only "responsible" bidders or offerors because they allow the government to exclude contractors from receiving government contracts. This report focuses upon exclusions on procurement grounds.2 It surveys the authorities requiring or allowing federal agencies to debar or suspend c… more
Date: August 16, 2010
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
open access

The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

Description: This report discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase, an historical overview of debt limits, and how the current economic slowdown has led to higher deficits and thereby a series of debt limit increases, as well as legislation related to these increases.
Date: February 16, 2010
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
open access

Earmarks Disclosed by Congress: FY2008-FY2010 Regular Appropriations Bills

Description: This report summarizes the earmarks disclosed for the 12 regular, annual appropriations bills for each of FY2008, FY2009, and FY2010 and analyzes the data without additions or deletions. For individual earmarks, the disclosures typically identify the federal agency, project name, amount, and requester. In some cases, other information also has been included, such as an account within an agency, or the purpose or location of the earmark.
Date: April 16, 2010
Creator: Vincent, Carol H. & Monke, Jim
open access

Emergency Communications: The Future of 911

Description: This report discusses possible paths toward the modernization of the 911 infrastructure. Efforts to splice newer, digital technologies onto the aging infrastructure have created points of failure where a call can be dropped or misdirected, sometimes with tragic consequences.
Date: March 16, 2010
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
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