Congressional Research Service Reports - 398 Matching Results

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Forest Fire/Wildfire Protection

Description: This report provides historical background on wildfires, and describes concerns about the wildland-urban interface and about forest and rangeland health. It discusses fuel management, fire control, and fire effects and also examines federal, state, and landowner roles and responsibilities in protecting lands and resources from wildfires. The report concludes by discussing current issues for federal wildfire management.
Date: August 14, 2003
Creator: Gorte, Ross W.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Notch Issue: A Summary

Description: This report discusses recent attempts at legislative action regarding changes to the computation of benefits under Social Security Amendments of 1977 (P.L. 95-216), which directly affected retirees born in the 5- to 15-year period after 1916. These persons fall in the "notch" between previous Social Security legislation and those affected by the amendments.
Date: August 5, 2003
Creator: Kollmann, Geoffrey
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Air Act: A Summary of the Act and Its Major Requirements

Description: This report summarizes the Clean Air Act and its major regulatory requirements. It describes the Act's major provisions and provides tables listing all major amendments, with the year of enactment and Public Law number, and crossreferencing sections of the Act with the major U.S. Code sections of the codified statute.
Date: January 3, 2003
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Entering the Executive Branch of Government: Potential Conflicts of Interest With Previous Employments and Affiliations

Description: This report examines the federal laws and regulations relevant to entering into Government employment from the private sector. It is intended to provide those conducting congressional oversight with an outline of some of the issues, rules, regulations, ad oversight tools that may be available regarding this subject.
Date: March 24, 2003
Creator: Maskell, Jack
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Amtrak Issues in the 108th Congress

Description: This report discusses a number of issues connected with Amtrak that Congress may consider. Amtrak does not earn enough revenue, or receive enough assistance, to cover its operating costs and capital needs. As a result, Amtrak is regularly on the verge of insolvency.
Date: February 20, 2003
Creator: Peterman, D. R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare Prescription Drug Proposals: Estimates of Aged Beneficiaries Who Fall Below Income Criteria, by State

Description: This report discusses bills related to Medicare benefits, which include additional assistance for low-income beneficiaries. The assistance would have been in the form of reduced, subsidized or eliminated premiums, deductibles and other cost-sharing. Proposals in the 108th Congress will probably also include some of these features for low-income beneficiaries.
Date: February 11, 2003
Creator: Peterson, Chris L. & Morgan, Paulette C.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Amending Process in the House of Representatives

Description: This report summarizes many of the procedures and practices affecting the amending process on the floor of the House of Representatives. The process gives Members an opportunity to change the provisions of the bills and resolutions on which they are going to vote; it can be among the most complex as well as the most important stages of legislative consideration.
Date: April 16, 2003
Creator: Davis, Christopher M. & Bach, Stanley
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Capitol Visitors' Center: An Overview

Description: This report presents the cost of the Capitol Visitors' Center (CVC), the most extensive addition to the Capitol since the Civil War, which is estimated at between $380 million and $395 million. Altogether $357.3 million in appropriated funds are available for project. An additional $65 million has been raised for construction of the center through private donations and the sale of commemorative coins.
Date: November 7, 2003
Creator: Stathis, Stephen W.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance: Issues Before the U.S. Supreme Court in McConnell v. FEC

Description: This report provides a summary of the issues presented by 12 groups of appellants in their jurisdictional statements in 2003. Shortly after the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), P.L. 107-155 (H.R. 2356, 107th Cong.) was enacted in March 2002 (also known as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform legislation), Senator Mitch McConnell and others filed suit in U.S. District Court for D.C. against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)… more
Date: June 20, 2003
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Drug Control: International Policy and Approaches

Description: This report discusses various U.S. international narcotics policy approaches meant to achieve two main goals: to reduce the supply of illicit narcotics flowing into the United States, and to reduce the amount of illicit narcotics cultivated, processed, and consumed worldwide.
Date: March 6, 2003
Creator: Perl, Raphael
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Free Trade Agreements: Impact on U.S. Trade and Implications for U.S. Trade Policy

Description: This report provides background on Free Trade Areas (FTAs) including: definitions of Free Trade Areas, why countries form FTAs, FTAs in the context of U.S. trade policy, Bush Administration policies and recent developments, the economic impact of FTAs, whether FTAs create trade or divert it, FTAs the the WTO, debate points related to FTAs, relevant legislation, and final conclusions and implications for Congress.
Date: January 3, 2003
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Estate and Gift Taxes: Economic Issues

Description: This report discusses how the estate and gift tax works and examines various policy options. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA, P.L. 107-16) repeals the estate tax after 2009. In the 108th Congress, some policymakers have proposed eliminating the sunset provision in the EGTRRA, thus making repeal of the estate tax permanent.
Date: January 31, 2003
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G. & Maguire, Steven
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare Structural Reform: Background and Options

Description: THis report provides a brief overview of major issues underlying the debate about possible structural reforms or improvements to the current Medicare system. Medicare is a nationwide health insurance program for the aged and certain disabled persons.
Date: January 28, 2003
Creator: Chaikind, Hinda R.; O'Sullivan, Jennifer & Boulanger, Jennifer
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Revenue Legislation in the Congressional Budget Process

Description: This report discusses revenue legislation, which may include changes to individual and corporate income taxes, social insurance taxes, excise taxes, or tariffs and duties. Congressional consideration of revenue legislation is governed by various constitutional provisions and procedural rules.
Date: June 13, 2003
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Retirement: Major Legislative Issues

Description: This report discusses various proposed changes to the military retirement system, which includes benefits for retirement after an active or reserve military career, disability retirement, and survivor benefits for eligible survivors of deceased retirees. Major issues include whether some or all military retirees should be allowed to receive both military retired pay and any VA disability compensation to which they are otherwise entitled -- referred to as "concurrent receipt" -- whether some mil… more
Date: October 21, 2003
Creator: Goldich, Robert L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Combating Terrorism: First Emergency Supplemental Appropriations - Distribution of Funds to Departments and Agencies

Description: This report provides background on the 2001 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States, P.L. 107-38 (H.R. 2888) as well as the criteria for use of the funds developed by The Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It also outlines information about supplemental fund distributions in three tables.
Date: January 7, 2003
Creator: Riehl, James R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Diamonds and Conflict: Background, Policy, and Legislation

Description: This report discusses issues surrounding "conflict diamonds" -- i.e., diamonds that have been mined and sold to support armed conflict -- as well as resulting U.S. policy responses. Policy makers' attention has also increasingly focused on the possible role that diamonds may play in the financing of terrorist operations.
Date: July 16, 2003
Creator: Cook, Nicolas
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Senate Rules Affecting Committees

Description: This report identifies and summarizes the provisions of the Senate's standing rules, standing orders, precedents, and other directives that relate to legislative activity in the Senate's standing committees. It covers four main issues: committee organization, committee meetings, hearings, and reporting.
Date: February 28, 2003
Creator: Bach, Stanley & Palmer, Betsy
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Faith-Based Organizations and Their Relationship with State and Local Governments: Analysis of Recent Initiatives

Description: This report discusses federal, state, and local government funding for faith-based organizations (FBOs) to provide services to needy citizens. It provides an overview of several selected issues including the effectiveness of FBOs, their accountability for results, and the working relationship that FBOs have at various levels of government.
Date: January 23, 2003
Creator: Canada, Ben
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Party Leaders in Congress, 1789-2003: Vital Statistics

Description: This report presents tables that provide historical data including service dates, party affiliation, and other information, for 15 House and Senate party leadership posts. This information has been updated to reflect leadership changes in the 107th Congress.
Date: January 22, 2003
Creator: Rundquist, Paul S.; Sachs, Richard C. & Bullock, Faye M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Medicare: Payments to Physicians

Description: This report discusses payment to physicians through Medicare, a nationwide program that offers health insurance protection for 40 million aged and disabled persons.
Date: March 3, 2003
Creator: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Child Care and Development Block Grant: Background and Funding

Description: This report discusses several federal programs support child care for low-income families, the principal being a federal block grant program: The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). The CCDBG is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and provides allotments to states, according to a formula, which are used to subsidize the child care expenses of low-income families with children under age 13.
Date: April 7, 2003
Creator: Butler, Alice & Gish, Melinda
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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