Congressional Research Service Reports - 102 Matching Results
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- Amendments in the House: Types and Forms
- This report describes the types and forms of amendments in the House, including distinctions, degrees, forms, and scopes of amendments.
- Amendments in the Senate: Types and Forms
- The amending process is central to the consideration of legislation by the Senate. This report briefly describes the various types of amendments that take place in the Senate.
- Architect of the Capitol: Appointment, Duties, and Current Issues
- This report discusses the responsibilities of the AOC, traces the statutory evolution of the office, summarizes the status of current and recent projects, and reviews selected issues before the 110th congress.
- Aviation and Climate Change
- This report discusses the impact airplane gas emissions has on climate change and CO2 levels.
- Bosnia: Overview of Current Issues
- No Description Available.
- Boumediene v. Bush: Guantanamo Detainees' Right to Habeas Corpus
- This report summarizes the Boumediene decision and analyzes several of its major implications for the U.S. detention of alien enemy combatants and legislation that limits detainees' access to judicial review.
- Burma and Transnational Crime
- This report is about Burma and the Transnational Crimes there.
- Campaign Finance Reform: Regulating Political Communications on the Internet
- This is a report on Campaign Finance Reform, specifically Regulating Political Communications on the Internet.
- Cash Balance Pension Plans: Selected Legal Issues
- This report provides an overview of these issues and a discussion of how the pension protection act (P.L. 109-280), as well as IRS guidance, affect them.
- Charitable Contributions of Food Inventory: Proposals for Change
- This report discusses the temporary change in the tax law governing charitable donations of food. Recent legislation expanded the existing tax incentive for firms that are C corporations to all businesses that donate food to charity
- Child Support Enforcement: $25 Annual User Fee
- The report discusses the Child Support Enforcement. It is categorized into three categories: (I) Background, (II) New Annual CSE User Fee and (III) Implementation of CSE User Fee.
- China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities — Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of the implications for U.S. Navy's background issues for Congress on China's naval modernization.
- China's Economic Conditions
- This report provides an overview of China's economic development, challenges China faces to maintain growth, and the implications of China's rise as a major economic power for the United States.
- Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal
- This report discusses the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), which calls for disposal of spent nuclear fuel in a deep geologic repository.
- Cleanup of U.S. Military Munitions: Authorities, Status, and Costs
- This report discusses the potential hazards of military munitions and related contamination, the authorities of the Department of Defense(DOD) to address these hazards, the status and costs of cleanup efforts, and issues of Congress.
- Coal Excise Tax Refunds: United States v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Co.
- In 1998, a U.S. district court held that the imposition of the coal excise tax, or black lung excise tax, on coal destined for export was unconstitutional. The process of refunding the tax has been controversial. This is because some coal producers and exporters have attempted to bypass the limitations in the Internal Revenue Code's refund scheme for bringing suit under the Export Clause in the Court of Federal Claims, seeking damages from the United States in the amount of coal excise taxes paid. The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals held the court had jurisdiction under the Tucker Act to hear the suits and allowed them as an alternative to the Code's refund process. However, in a 2008 decision, United States v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Co., the Supreme Court unanimously held that taxpayers must comply with the Code's administrative refund process before bringing suit. Meanwhile, H.R. 1762 and S. 373 would provide an alternative method for taxpayers to receive coal excise tax refunds.
- Comparison of the House and Senate 2007 Farm Bills
- This report compares only the major provisions in the House-and Senate-passed versions of the farm bill with each other and with current law, providing a brief description of all individual sections or subsections within each title.
- Congressional Budget Resolutions: Motions to Instruct Conferees
- This report provides an overview of the motions to instructing conferees with congress budget resolutions.
- Congressional or Federal Charters: Overview and Current Issues
- This report is an overview and the then current issues related to Congressional or Federal Charters.
- Congressional Oversight of Intelligence: Current Structure and Alternatives
- This report first describes the current select committees on intelligence and then the former Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, often cited as a model for a counterpart on intelligence. The study also sets forth proposed characteristics for a joint committee on intelligence, differences among these, and their pros and cons. The report examines other actions and alternatives affecting congressional oversight in the field.
- Continuing Resolutions: Latest Action and Brief Overview of Recent Practices
- This report is divided into two segments. The first segment provides the most recent developments on, and selected provisions of, the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2009. The second segment focuses on the (1) history and recent trends, including the nature, scope, and duration of continuing resoutions (CRs) during the past 35 years; (2) CR types by duration; (3) major substantive legislative provisions included in some CRs; and (4) funding gaps.
- Conventional Warheads for Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of the Administration's rationale for the possible deployment of conventional warheads on long-range ballistic missiles. It then reviews the Air Force and Navy efforts to develop these systems. It summarizes congressional reaction to these proposals, then provides a more detailed account of the issues raised by these concepts and programs.
- Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities
- Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). All CSRS retirees and survivors receive COLAs. Under FERS, however, non-disabled retirees under age 62 do not receive COLAs. This report discusses cost-of-living adjustments for government retirees, as well as related legislation.
- Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods
- This report discusses the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) as amended by the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246), which states that many U.S. retailers must begin providing country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for fresh produce, red meats, peanuts, chicken, ginseng, pecans, and macadamia nuts.
- Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act (CURIA): H.R. 1537 and S. 2957
- This report discusses the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act (CURIA), that has been introduced in both the House and Senate. It also discusses about Capital Reform and Economic Growth.
- Cyclone Nargis and Burma’s Constitutional Referendum
- This report examines the scope of and response to the disaster, as well as its links to Burma's political situation and U.S. policy.
- Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense. For both defense authorization and appropriations, this report summarizes the status of the bills, their scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity. This report is updated as events warrant and lists the key CRS staff relevant to the issues covered as well as related CRS products.
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development: FY2008 Appropriations
- This report tracks the FY2008 congressional appropriations process and provides a detailed discussion of the funding and issues related to the majority of accounts in HUD’s budget.
- Disposition of Surplus Federal Property
- No Description Available.
- Does the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Listing Provide More Protection of the Polar Bear?
- No Description Available.
- The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)
- On August 5, 2004, the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic signed the CAFTA-DR. Nearly one year later, it faced a contentious debate and close vote in both houses of the U.S. Congress. This report discusses the issues and evolution of the CAFTA-RA debate.
- Earthquakes: Risk, Monitoring, Notification, and Research
- This report describes estimates of earthquake hazards and risk in the United States; the current federal programs that support earthquake monitoring and that provide notification after a seismic event; and the programs that support mitigation and research aimed at reducing U.S. vulnerability to earthquakes.
- Economic Development Assistance for Communities Affected by Employment Changes Due to Military Base Closures
- This report is intended to discuss the geographic impact of base closures and realignments; summarize federal economic assistance programs for communities and individuals affected by military base closures and realignments (BRAC); and highlight issues for Congress.
- Ecuador: Political and Economic Situation and U.S. Relations
- This report provides information about the Political and Economic Situation and U.S. Relations on Ecuador. Ecuador is an oil-producing country that has experienced ten years of political and economic stability.
- Electronic Rulemaking in the Federal Government
- This report explores the Bush Administration's initiative of implementing electronic rulemaking (e-rulemaking) in the federal government, the questions regarding how this initiative is being funded, its overall structure, its costs and expected financial benefits, the functionality of some of the applications being used, and its effect on public participation in the rulemaking process.
- The Endangered Species Act: A Primer
- The discussion on this report is expanded for four aspects of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and its implementation that have raised concerns and promoted debate—listing species, designating critical habitat, consulting on projects, and exempting projects.
- Endangered Species Act and Legal Issues Regarding Columbia Basin Salmon and Steelhead
- This report discusses the resident fish, such as bull trout and Kootenai River white sturgeon, which are listed as threatened and endangered respectively under the ESA are affected by the FCRPS. This report focuses on Endangered Species Act (ESA) actions and litigation related to these species.
- Executive Branch Reorganization and Management Initiatives: A Brief Overview
- No Description Available.
- The FDA’s Authority to Recall Products
- This report provides information about the The FDA’s Authority to Recall Products. The FDA had fielded increasing number of question regarding recalls of unsafe imports, including jalapeno peppers.
- Federal Advisory Committees: A Primer
- This report provides information about a Primer on the Federal Advisory Committees. This report set forth definitions and requirements for creating commissions as required by FACA.
- Federal Indian Elementary-Secondary Education Programs: Background and Issues
- This report provides a brief history of federal Indian education programs, a discussion of data on students served by these programs, an overview of the programs and their funding, a discussion of the application to BIE schools of key provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, and brief discussions of selected issues in Indian education.
- FEMA Funding for Flood Map Modernization
- No Description Available.
- Franking Privilege: An Analysis of Member Mass Mailings in the House, 1997-2007. April 2008
- This report provides an analysis of House Member mass mailings.
- The Global Nuclear Detection Architecture: Issues for Congress
- This report addresses the global nuclear detection architecture: a multi-layered system of detection technologies, programs, and guidelines designed to enhance the nation's ability to detect and prevent a radiological or nuclear attack.
- Government Spending on Health Care Benefits and Programs: A Data Brief
- In a country where health spending accounts for more than 16% of gross domestic product (GDP), health care costs and spending are often described as a problem for consumers and their families; for employers that provide (or seek to provide) health benefits; and for government, which finances a mix of health care services, health research and training, and health safety programs. To describe government spending on health care benefits and programs, this report presents data from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
- Health Care Fraud and Abuse Laws Covering Medicare and Medicaid: An Overview
- This report provides a brief overview of these laws, including examples of prohibited conduct and penalties for violation.
- House and Senate Rules of Procedure: A Comparison
- This report compares selected House and Senate rules of procedure for various stages of the legislative process: referral of legislation to committees; scheduling and calling up measures; and floor consideration. No attempt is made to present a comprehensive discussion of how both chambers operate.
- House Floor Activity: The Daily Flow of Business
- This report briefly explains the daily flow of business on the House floor.
- How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction
- This report presents a brief description of the five methods used to bring proposed legislation to the House floor for consideration. These methods allow for consideration as a privileged matter, under the limited privilege of a special calendar or day, under suspensions of the rules, under the terms of a special rule, or by unanimous consent.
- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Supreme Court Decisions
- No Description Available.