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Agricultural Conservation: A Guide to Programs
This report provides a listing of federal agricultural conservation assistance programs. Each listing includes a brief description of the program, information on major amendments in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79, 2014 farm bill), national scope and availability, states with the greatest participation, the backlog of applications or other measures of continuing interest, program funding authority, FY2018 funding, FY2019 Administration budget request, statutory authority, the authorization expiration date, and a link to the program's website.
Air Quality: EPA’s 2013 Changes to the Particulate Matter (PM) Standard
This report summarizes the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and includes comparisons with previous (1997 and 2006) promulgated and proposed standards.
Amendments Between the Houses: Procedural Options and Effects
This report explains the procedural options for resolving differences through amendments between the houses, and to discuss the procedural effects of resolving differences through this process as an alternative to conference committee.
Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2013
This report is categorized into four categories: (I) Consolidation and Initial Stability, (II) Reorganization and Multiple Changes, (III) Renewed Stability and (IV) Major Changes.
Arab League Boycott of Israel
This report provides background information on the boycott and U.S. efforts to end its enforcement.
Army Drawdown and Restructuring: Background and Issues for Congress
This report discusses the new defense strategy, which was unveiled by senior Department of Defense (DOD) leadership based on a review of potential future security challenges, current defense strategy, and budgetary constraints. This strategy will rebalance the Army's global posture and presence, emphasizing where potential problems are likely to arise, such as the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.
The Berne Union: An Overview
This report provides background information about the Berne Union, or the International Union of Credit and Investment Insurers. It is an international organization comprised of more than 70 public and private sector members that represent both public and private segments of the export credit and investment insurance industry.
Carbon Capture: A Technology Assessment
This report is a brief summary of what carbon capture and storage (CCS) is, how it is supposed to work, why it has gained the interest and support of some members of Congress, and what some of the challenges are to its implementation and deployment across the United States.
The Chained Consumer Price Index: What Is It and Would It Be Appropriate for Cost-of-Living Adjustments?
This report is categorized into four categories: (I) Introduction, (II) Methodological Difference Between the standard CPI AND THE C-CPI-U, (III) Statistical Difference between the CPI AND C-CPI-U and (IV) Policy Consideration.
China's Economic Rise: History, Trends, Challenges, and Implications for the United States
This report provides background on China's economic rise; describes its current economic structure; identifies the challenges China faces to maintain economic growth; and discusses the challenges, opportunities, and implications of China's economic rise for the United States.
Congressional Authority to Regulate Firearms: A Legal Overview
Courts have been confronted with the question of whether federal laws can be applied to intrastate possession and intrastate transfers of firearms, or whether such application exceeds the authority of Congress. This report explores these cases and how courts have analyzed these as-applied challenges under the Supreme Court's Commerce Clause jurisprudence primarily set forth in United States v. Lopez.
Congressional Membership and Appointment Authority to Advisory Commissions, Boards, and Groups
This report contains a compilation of commissions and boards that demonstrates the range of alternative membership-appointment structures. It includes any statutorily created advisory entity (boards, advisory panels, etc.) whose membership scheme mandates the participation of members of Congress either as potential members or as participants in the process of appointing the membership. For each entity, information on the purpose, duration, appointment structure, and term of appointment is provided. Finally, information on the involvement of members of Congress in the appointment process is presented in a series of tables.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and International Trade: Legal Issues
This report examines the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) role in regulating U.S. imported and exported consumer products. It also examines some of the international obligations that the United States has undertaken with respect to the promulgation of standards-related measures, such as mandatory consumer product safety regulations.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal Funding and Issues
This report provides information about the Federal Funding and Issues on Corporation for Public Broadcasting.CPB receives virtually all of its funding through federal appropriations.
Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources
This report provides links to selected authoritative resources related to cybersecurity issues and includes the information on various cybersecurity topics
Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive
This report provides a brief overview of the history of the reunification negotiations, a review of the negotiations since 2008, a description of some of the issues involved in the talks, and where things stand today.
Defense Authorization and Appropriations Bills: FY1970-FY2013
This report is a research aid which lists the DOD authorization bills (Table 1) and appropriations bills (Table 2) for FY1970-FY2013. It includes key definitions and all the pertinent information on the passage of these bills through the legislative process: bill numbers, report numbers, dates reported and passed, recorded vote numbers and vote tallies, dates of passage of the conference reports with their numbers and votes, vetoes, substitutions, dates of final passage, and public law numbers.
Definition of Income for Certain Medicaid Provisions and Premium Credits in ACA
No Description Available.
Earthquake Risk and U.S. Highway Infrastructure: Frequently Asked Questions
This report addresses frequently asked questions about the risk from earthquakes to highway systems, including bridges, tunnels, pavements, and other highway components. Particular attention is given to highway bridges, which often are the most vulnerable highway structures. The report also discusses federal and nonfederal actions to reduce seismic risk to the U.S. highway system.
Environmental Requirements Addressed During Corps Civil Works Project Planning: Background and Issues for Congress
No Description Available.
EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?
This report provides background information on recent EPA regulatory activity to help address these issues.
European Union Enlargement: A Status Report on Turkey's Accession Negotiations
This report provides a brief overview of the EU's accession process and Turkey's path to EU membership. The U.S. Congress has had a long-standing interest in Turkey as a NATO ally and partner in regional foreign policy and energy security issues. Although some Members of Congress have expressed continued support for Turkey's membership in the EU, congressional interest and enthusiasm seems to have diminished recently.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): An Overview
This report discusses the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), as amended, is intended to help employees balance work and family life. The act provides eligible employees with two types of job-protected leave: regular leave and military family leave. In turn, military family leave consists of qualifying exigency leave and military caregiver leave.
Federal Disaster Assistance after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Gustav, and Ike
Report that provides information on federal financial assistance provided to the Gulf States after major disasters were declared in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas in response to the widespread destruction that resulted from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005 and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. This includes a brief summary of each hurricane and a discussion concerning federal to state cost-shares.
Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Overview and Discussion of Proposed Revisions
This report discusses that framework and proposals to amend more than 30 acts of Congress that are part of or relevant to it.
Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2013
This report summarizes budgetary decisions relating to research and development funding for FY2013.
Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2014
This report provides government-wide, multi-agency, and individual agency analyses of the President's FY2014 request as it relates to R&D and related activities.
Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2014
This report provides government-wide, multi-agency, and individual agency analyses of the President's FY2014 request as it relates to R&D and related activities. The President's budget seeks $142.773 billion for R&D in FY2014, a 1.3% increase (0.7% CAGR) over the actual FY2012 R&D funding level of $140.912 billion. Adjusted for inflation, the President's FY2014 R&D request represents a decrease of 2.6% from the FY2012 level (1.3% CAGR).
The First Responder Network and Next-Generation Communications for Public Safety: Issues for Congress
This report covers a background of provisions in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 for planning, building, and managing a new, nationwide, broadband network for public safety communications.
Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Review of Fluoridation and Regulation Issues
This report discusses the potential benefits and adverse effects associated with the fluoridation of drinking water supplies. It also discusses the regulation of fluoride in drinking water to protect against adverse health effects from exposure to higher levels of fluoride, and it reviews the status of federal efforts to update the health risk assessment for fluoride and the primary drinking water standard for fluoride.
Foreign Aid: International Donor Coordination of Development Assistance
This report provides a summary of official development assistance (ODA), discusses coordination goals established by donors at international development policy forums, and provides an overview of U.S. policy and efforts to meet these goals. The report concludes by identifying key issues in donor coordination, including the growing role of non-traditional donors, such as China, in development cooperation.
Gun Control Proposals in the 113th Congress: Universal Background Checks, Gun Trafficking, and Military Style Firearms
This report provides background information on federal regulation of firearms. The report discusses the legislative and executive developments in the 113th Congress, as well as universal background checks, gun trafficking, and possession of military style firearms.
Health Care Reform and Small Business
This report considers issues in the employer penalty for small businesses. It firstly provides a brief discussion of the need for penalties in comprehensive health care reform and why employer penalties might be useful. It also discusses the potential impact of employer penalties and credits on small businesses.
Health Insurance Exchanges Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
This report outlines the required minimum functions of exchanges, and explains how exchanges are expected to be established and administered under ACA.
Honduras-U.S. Relations. February 2013
This report examines current conditions in Honduras as well as issues in U.S-Honduras relations.
Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy: Issues for the 113th Congress
This report examines human rights issues in the People's Republic of China (PRC), including ongoing rights abuses, legal reforms, and the development of civil society.
Hydropower: Federal and Nonfederal Investment
This report analyzes a wide range of factors that would attribute to the success of investing in Hydropower, the use of flowing water to produce energy. Some factors include but are not limited to federal or nonfederal classifications, clean energy discussions, fluctuating electricity market rates.
Increasing the Social Security Payroll Tax Base: Options and Effects on Tax Burdens
This report provides information on the options and effects of increasing the social security payroll tax.
Inland Waterways: Recent Proposals and Issues for Congress
This report discusses the major issues for Congress which include whether to increase inland waterway funding in the future (and by what amount); the appropriate type of revenue stream (e.g., fuel taxes or lockage fees) for the user-required portion of these projects; division of the cost-share responsibilities between the federal government and commercial users (e.g., 50/50 or some other division); and whether to initiate process-based recommendations that some argue will improve the delivery and efficiency of Corps-led IWTF projects.
Intelligence Spending and Appropriations: Issues for Congress
This report discusses the historic trend in intelligence spending, as well as broader issues concerning the intelligence budgeting process, and may help Members of Congress contextualize information concerning the FY2013 budget.
Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues
This report discusses the background and policy issues related to Internet domain names.
The Iran Hostages: Efforts to Obtain Compensation
This report provides background information regarding the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis, and discusses the Hostage Relief Act.
Latin America: Terrorism Issues
This is a report regarding U.S. attention to terrorism in Latin America, which has intensified in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The report talks about the 112th Congress's initiatives that have been introduced related to terrorism issues in the Western Hemisphere regarding Mexico, Venezuela, and the activities of Iran and Hezbollah.
Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act
This report summarizes legislative and other actions taken to repeal, defund, or delay the Affordable Care Act (ACA), since the law's enactment. The information is presented in four appendixes.
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Legislation in the 113th Congress
This report discusses legislation that would establish or enhance a statutory minimum term of imprisonment for some federal crimes, including drug offenses, crimes involving firearms, aggravated computer abuse, illegal reentry, and violence against public servants.
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Legislation in the 113th Congress
This report discusses the federal crimes that are usually punishable by a statutory maximum term of imprisonment, for example, "imprisoned for not more than 5 years."
Medicaid Coverage of Long-Term Services and Supports
This report provides a description of the various statutory authorities that either require or otherwise allow states to cover LTSS under Medicaid. The Appendix provides a brief legislative history of Medicaid LTSS from Medicaid’s enactment and initial coverage requirements for institutional care through the evolution of HCBS options available to states.
Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile
This report presents a profile of the membership of the 113th Congress (2013-2014). Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age, occupation, education, length of congressional service, religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, foreign births, and military service.
Moldova: Background and U.S. Policy
Report that provides information and analysis on Moldova, including its political and economic situation, foreign policy, and on U.S. policy toward Moldova.
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
This report provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a relatively inexpensive Navy surface combatant equipped with modular "plug-and-fight" mission packages for countering mines, small boats, and diesel-electric submarines, particularly in littoral (i.e., near-shore) waters.
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