Congressional Research Service Reports - 1,392 Matching Results
Search Results
- Poverty in the United States 1968-1969: Selected References
- This report provides a list of resources published in 1968 or 1969 related to poverty in the United States.
- Congress and the Reversion of Okinawa
- This report discusses the agreement between President Nixon and Prime Minister Sato of Japan for control of the Ryukyu Island chain (of which Okinawa is the chief island) to revert to Japan in 1972. Congressional actions related to the agreement and the issue of Congressional approval for executive actions which alter existing treaties are discussed.
- Wildfire Fuels and Fuel Reduction
- This report examines wildfire biomass fuels. It discusses fuel characteristics and their relation to wildfire intensity and spread, and includes a description of actions proposed to reduce biomass fuel levels, their effectiveness for protecting property and resources from wildfires, and their impacts on other resource values. It concludes with an examination of the federal authorities for fuel reduction activities on federal and non-federal lands, together with data on the funding provided under each of these authorities.
- Crime and Forfeiture
- This report provides an overview of federal forfeiture law. It sketches the origins and general attributes of forfeiture, describes the distribution of the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates, and identifies some of the related constitutional issues.
- The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP): Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of the history of science and technology (S&T) advice to the President and discusses selected issues and options for Congress regarding the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director, OSTP management and operations, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
- Military Funeral Honors and Military Cemeteries: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides answers to frequently asked questions about military funeral honors and military cemeteries, including information on the eligibility criteria, required components of the honor detail, and the funeral ceremony. It also cites legislation that mandates that the Department of Defense (DOD) make military funeral honors available to every eligible veteran upon request.
- Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for Congress
- This report provides a definition regarding Internet governance and how the Internet is currently governed. The report discusses the role of United States government and future model of Internet governance.
- Vulnerable Youth: Background and Policies
- This report first provides an overview of the youth population and the increasing complexity of the transition to adulthood for all adolescents with a discussion of the concept of "disconnectedness," as well as the protective factors youth can develop during childhood and adolescence that can mitigate poor outcomes. Further, the report describes the evolution of federal youth policy and provides a brief overview of current federal programs targeted at vulnerable youth, and discusses the challenges of coordinating federal programs for youth, as well as federal legislation and initiatives that promote coordination among federal agencies and support programs with a positive youth development focus.
- Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies
- This report provides a list of roughly 200 congressional liaison offices, and is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies.
- Broadband Loan and Grant Programs in the USDA's Rural Utilities Service
- Report that discusses the broadband loan and grant programs at Rural Utilities Service (RUS) that is intended to accelerate the deployment of broadband services in rural America.
- Navy CG(X) Cruiser Program: Background for Congress
- Report that provides background information on the U.S. Navy's CG(X) program as it existed prior to its proposed cancellation.
- Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues
- Report that discusses Pakistan's efforts to produce fissile material and other issues related to nuclear proliferation and improving its nuclear arsenal. It also discusses the steps Pakistan has taken to increase international confidence in its nuclear security.
- Satellite Surveillance: Domestic Issues
- Report that provides background on the development of intelligence satellites and identifies the roles various agencies play in their management and use. Issues surrounding the current policy and proposed changes are discussed, followed by a discussion of legal considerations.
- International Drug Control Policy: Background and U.S. Responses
- The report provides background information on drug cultivation, drug trafficking and the consequences of drug trade. This report discusses challenges created by the global illegal drug trade, including: undermining political and regional stability, bolstering the role and capabilities of transnational criminal organizations in the drug trade, and the burden caused by drug use an addition on local communities and economic development. In addition, this report discusses U.S. policy efforts to thwart illegal drug trade.
- Managing Disaster Debris: Overview of Regulatory Requirements, Agency Roles, and Selected Challenges
- Report that addresses the challenges in removing debris resulting from a "major disaster" or "emergency" declared by the President, as well as the role of federal agencies in debris removal.
- Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Disaster Response, Recovery, and Mitigation Projects
- Report that discusses the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 as it applies to projects for which federal funding to recover from or prepare for a disaster has been requested by local, tribal, or state grant applicants.
- Cellulosic Biofuels: Analysis of Policy Issues for Congress
- Report that provides background on the current effort to develop industrial-scale, competitive technology to produce biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks.
- Defense Surplus Equipment Disposal: Background Information
- Report that discusses the Department of Defense (DOD) policy via the Defense Utilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for disposing of government equipment and supplies considered surplus or deemed unnecessary to the agency's currently designated mission. The report focuses on DRMS background, as well as the most recent DRMS policy modifications.
- Iran Sanctions
- Report that analyzes U.S. and international sanctions against Iran and, in so doing, provides examples, based on a wide range of open source reporting, of companies and countries that conduct business with Iran. It also discusses the effectiveness of sanctions on Iran.
- Japan Joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership: What Are the Implications?
- This report provides an overview of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and discusses Japans negotiations of becoming a member of this organization. The report discusses U.S.-Japan economic ties, overall U.S. objectives, Japan's objectives, Japanese politics and the TPP, possible outcomes and consequences.
- Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's Financial Status: Frequently Asked Questions
- Report that presents the major issues surrounding Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's financial conditions as well as various public policy options under discussion.
- India-U.S. Security Relations: Current Engagement
- Report that reviews the major facets of U.S.-India security relations with a focus on military-to-military contacts, counterterrorism and intelligence cooperation, and defense trade. It also discusses some of the many obstacles to deeper cooperation in each of these areas.
- North Korea: U.S. Relations, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Internal Situation
- This report provides background information on the negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program that began in the early 1990s under the Clinton Administration. As U.S. policy toward Pyongyang evolved through the George W. Bush and Obama presidencies, the negotiations moved from mostly bilateral to the multilateral Six-Party Talks (made up of China, Japan, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, and the United States).
- Adopting a Long-Term Budget Focus: Challenges and Proposals
- Report concerning the current federal budget process, including criticisms of that process. Information is provided regarding the current horizons used in the budget process, including already existing long-term components; the rationale for increased focus on long term budgeting; general challenges to long-term budgeting; and an analysis of general proposals that have been made to increase the focus of long-term budgeting in the budget process.
- Reauthorizing the Office of National Drug Control Policy: Issues for Consideration
- This report provides a discussion of the National Drug Control Strategy, the National Drug Control Budget, and Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) evaluation of the National Drug Control Strategy implementation. It then provides an analysis of selected legislative and oversight issues that Congress may consider when debating the reauthorization of ONDCP.
- Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program: Overview and Current Issue
- This report begins with an explanation of the various Ticket to Work provisions and provides an analysis of program performance and return-to-work barriers encountered by ticket holders and ENs. The report concludes with a discussion of program-related issues that may be of interest to Congress.
- Budget "Sequestration" and Selected Program Exemptions and Special Rules
- Report that looks at the history and current status of sequestration at it relates to Congress, including how it is enacted and special rules that can apply.
- Chemical Weapons: A Summary Report of Characteristics and Effects
- This report describes chemical weapons and toxic industrial chemicals which cause a variety of symptoms in their victims. The report discusses the potential for terrorist use of chemical agents.
- Health Workforce Programs in Title VII of the Public Health Service Act
- This report describes and summarizes Title VII of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) programs. It describes federal support for institutions and individuals in efforts to expand and sustain the pipeline for health professions education and training.
- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Annual Fee on Health Insurers
- This report discusses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, P.L. 111-148) and the Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152) that impose a fee on certain for-profit health insurers, starting in 2014.
- Federal Climate Change Funding from FY2008 to FY2014
- This report summarizes direct federal funding identified as climate change-related from FY2008 enacted funding through FY2013 and the FY2014 request (as well as a less consistent series beginning with FY2001). It reports the Administration's estimates of tax revenues not received due to energy tax provisions that may reduce GHG emissions. The report briefly identifies the programs and funding levels, as well as some qualifications and observations on reporting of federal funding. It further offers some issues that Members may wish to consider in deliberating on U.S. climate change strategies.
- Rebuilding Household Wealth: Implications for Economic Recovery
- Report regarding the slower than normal pace of the ongoing economic recovery and the likely role in that of weak consumer spending forced by a sharp loss of household net worth during the recession and the subsequent need to rebuild that lost wealth.
- Guide to Individuals Seated on the Senate Dais
- This report discusses the seating of the members of senate chamber in the Capitol.
- Consumers and Food Price Inflation
- This report is divided into five sections that cover the following: major economic concepts underlying consumer food behavior; descriptions how U.S. food price inflation rates have evolved since 1915, when federal price data collection for inflation-measuring purposes began; information on recent history and projections for U.S. food expenditure shares relative to total household budget; an examination of retail food price inflation; and a discussion on the impact that rapid food price inflation can have on government food programs and the more vulnerable consumer groups.
- Guantanamo Detention Center: Legislative Activity in the 111th Congress
- This report analyzes relevant provisions in enacted legislation and selected pending bills relating to the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a facility in which alleged enemy belligerents are detained.
- Committee on the Budget in the House of Representatives: Structure and Responsibilities
- Report describing the structure and responsibilities of the Committee on the Budget in the House of Representatives.
- GSEs and the Government's Role in Housing Finance: Issues for the 113th Congress
- This report examines options concerning the future of the GSEs and the future government role in residential mortgage markets. Other CRS reports address related issues such as conservatorship, the GSEs' financial condition, residential mortgage markets in other nations, and affordable housing.
- U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Changing Oil Prices
- Report that provides an estimate of the initial impact of the changing oil prices on the nation's merchandise trade deficit.
- Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress
- Report that discusses the process of naming Navy ships, which have traditionally been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy. Congress in recent years has proposed, and sometimes passed, legislation regarding the naming of specific ships.
- U.S. Sanctions on Burma: Issues for the 113th Congress
- This report provides a brief history of U.S. policy towards Burma and the development of U.S. sanctions, a topical summary of those sanctions, and an overview of actions taken to waive or ease those sanctions by the Obama Administration. The report concludes with a discussion of actions taken by the 112th Congress and options for the 113th Congress.
- Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP): Available Health Insurance Options
- This report discusses the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), a program administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is statutorily given the authority to contract with qualified carriers offering plans and to prescribe regulations necessary to carry out the statute, among other duties.
- Poverty in the United States: 2012
- This report discusses poverty in United States that varies widely across the population according to age, education, labor force attachment, family living arrangements, and area of residence, among other factors. The report elaborates on the poverty among selected groups, the geography of poverty, and the research supplemental poverty measure.
- Energy and Water Development: FY2014 Appropriations
- This report discusses the Energy and Water Development bill, which includes funding for civil works projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Department of the Interior's Central Utah Project (CUP) and Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Department of Energy (DOE), and a number of independent agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
- F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
- The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), also called the Lighting II, is a new strike fighter being procured in different versions by the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. The F-35 program is the Department of Defense's (DOD's) largest weapon procurement program in terms of total estimated acquisition cost. This report details the Obama Administration's proposed FY2010 defense budget requests for F-35 program funding and outlines the issues that Congress must consider when deciding whether to approve, reject, or modify the administration's funding requests.
- China-U.S. Trade Issues
- This report discusses the U.S.-China economic relationship and China's rapid expansion as a global economic market, both with respect to the current global economic crisis. It also examines major U.S.-China trade issues and related legislation.
- Homeland Security Department: FY2011 Appropriations
- This report describes the FY2011 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Administration requested a net appropriation of $45.0 billion in budget authority for FY2011. This amounts to a $1.1 billion, or a 2.4% increase from the $43.9 billion enacted for FY2010. Total budget authority requested by the Administration for DHS for FY2011 amounts to $52.6 billion as compared to $51.7 billion enacted for FY2010.
- Privacy: An Overview of Federal Statues Governing Wiretapping and Electronic Eavesdropping
- This report provides an overview of federal law governing wiretapping and electronic eavesdropping. It also appends citations to state law in the area and contains a bibliography of legal commentary as well as the text of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This report also includes a brief summary of the recently expired Protect America Act, P.L. 110-55 and of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2008, P.L. 110-261 (H.R. 6304).
- Armed Career Criminal Act (18 U.S.C. 924(e)): An Overview
- This report briefly explores the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), 18 U.S.C. 924(e), which requires imposition of a minimum 15-year term of imprisonment for recidivists convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). Section 924(e) applies only to those defendants who have three prior state or federal convictions for violent felonies or serious drug offenses. The report includes descriptions of constitutional challenges to the application of section 924(e), which have been generally unsuccessful.
- Iran Sanctions
- This report focuses on the United States' relationship with Iran and how the Obama Administration is handling prior administration's economic sanctions against Iran. The Obama Administration's policy approach toward Iran has contrasted with the Bush Administration's by attempting to couple the imposition of sanctions to an active and direct U.S. effort to negotiate with Iran on the nuclear issue. That approach was not initially altered because of the Iranian dispute over its June 12, 2009, elections. However, with subsequent negotiations yielding no firm Iranian agreement to compromise, since early 2010 the Administration has focused on achieving the imposition of additional U.N., U.S., and allied country sanctions whose cumulative effect would be to compel it to accept a nuclear bargain.
- Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service
- This report discusses Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX), which provides income support while former active duty military personnel or reservists released from active duty search for work. The report addresses funding for this service, who is entitled to UCX benefits, and Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) and the Extended Benefits (EB) payments, which a servicemember receives when regular unemployment benefits are exhausted.