Congressional Research Service Reports - 204 Matching Results
Search Results
- Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, H.R. 1036 and S. 659, 108th Congress: Legal Analysis
- No Description Available.
- Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, H.R. 1036, 108th Congress: Legal Analysis
- No Description Available.
- Spyware: Background and Policy Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Geographical Indications and WTO Negotiations
- This report discusses the issue of expanding intellectual property protections for geographical indications for wines, spirits, and agricultural products is being debated in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
- Steel: Price and Policy Issues
- Steel prices remain at historically elevated levels. The rapid growth of steel production and demand in China is widely considered as a major cause of the increases in both steel prices and the prices of steelmaking inputs. Steel companies have achieved much greater pricing power, in part through an ongoing consolidation of the industry
- Food Safety in the 111th Congress: H.R. 2749 and S. 510
- This report discusses whether the current food safety system has the resources, authority, and structural organization to safeguard the health of American consumers, who spend more than $1 trillion on food each year. Also at issue is whether federal food safety laws, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
- Food Safety in the 111th Congress: H.R. 2749 and S. 510
- This report discusses whether the current food safety system has the resources, authority, and structural organization to safeguard the health of American consumers, who spend more than $1 trillion on food each year. Also at issue is whether federal food safety laws, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
- Food Safety in the 111th Congress: H.R. 2749 and S. 510
- This report discusses whether the current food safety system has the resources, authority, and structural organization to safeguard the health of American consumers, who spend more than $1 trillion on food each year. Also at issue is whether federal food safety laws, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
- Food Safety in the 111th Congress: H.R. 2749 and S. 510
- This report discusses whether the current food safety system has the resources, authority, and structural organization to safeguard the health of American consumers, who spend more than $1 trillion on food each year. Also at issue is whether federal food safety laws, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
- Food Safety in the 111th Congress
- This report discusses whether the current food safety system has the resources, authority, and structural organization to safeguard the health of American consumers, who spend more than $1 trillion on food each year. Also at issue is whether federal food safety laws, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
- Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th Congress and those that are pending in the 108th Congress. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital (and traditional) copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
- Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th Congress and those that are pending in the 108th Congress. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
- Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation in the 107th and 108th Congresses
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th and 108th Congresses. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital (and traditional) copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
- Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th Congress and those that are pending in the 108th Congress. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital (and traditional) copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
- Copyright Law: Digital Rights Management Legislation
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technology that copyright owners use to protect digital media. This report surveys several of the DRM bills that were introduced in the 107th Congress and those that are pending in the 108th Congress. Generally, the bills are directed at two separate goals. One goal is to increase access to digitally-protected media for lawful purposes. The other attempts to thwart digital piracy and would do so by enhancing civil and criminal sanctions for digital (and traditional) copyright infringement and educating the public about the rights of copyright holders.
- Homeland Security Act of 2002: Tort Liability Provisions
- The Homeland Security Act of 2002, P.L. 107-296 (H.R. 5005), contains the following provisions that limit tort liability, and this report examines each of them 1) Section 304,863,8901201,1402,1714-1717.
- Attorneys' Fees in the State Tobacco Litigation Cases
- In the past few years, many states have filed complaints against the tobacco industry in state court to recover Medicaid costs paid by the states to treat their citizens for tobacco related illnesses. The states are also attempting to recover other damages, such as punitive damages, against the tobacco industry. For various reasons, the states have hired private attorneys to assist the state Attorneys General in prosecuting these cases. In most cases, the retention of private counsel has included a fee agreement specifying the amount of compensation that these attorneys will receive for their services. These agreements are not uniform among the states, but most tend to provide some form of contingency fee arrangement. Some of these states have developed a sliding scale contingency fee schedule which varies with the amount of time spent on the litigation and whether a trial has begun. This report briefly summarizes the different fee agreements that the states have with private counsel.
- The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act's Insurance for Troubled Assets
- Many observers trace the root cause of recent instability in financial markets to uncertainty surrounding the value of widely held securities that are based on mortgages and mortgage-related assets. The introduction of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) was designed to address said financial instability through a variety of measures, including an insurance program for "troubled assets." This report briefly summarizes and analyzes the insurance program contained in the enacted version of the EESA.
- Identity Theft and the Fair Credit Reporting Act: An Analysis of
- This report provides information about An Analysis of on Identity Theft and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This report will provide a brief summary of the fair credit reporting act provisions in question, as well as an analysis of the recent supreme court decisions.
- Medicare Prescription Drug and Reform Legislation
- This report describes the major features of S. 1, as ordered reported, and the measure to be considered by the House Ways and Means Committee, H.R. 2473, as ordered reported.
- Overview of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Reform Legislation
- No Description Available.
- Medicare Prescription Drug Provisions of S.1, as Passed by the Senate, and H.R. 1, as Passed by the House
- This report discusses differences in the specifics of the prescription drug provisions in S. 1 and H.R. 1 and provides a side-by-side comparison of the Title I provisions of both bills.
- Implications of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit for State Budgets
- No Description Available.
- Firestone Tire Recall: NHTSA, Industry, and Congressional Responses
- This report discusses the scope and nature of the safety challenge associated with the Firestone tire recall, and summarizes NHTSA’s defect investigations process (as of the end of the 106th Congress) and several relevant actions that NHTSA has taken to date. Second, some of the key efforts of Ford Motor Company (Ford) and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. (Firestone) to deal with this challenge and associated economic impacts of the reported tire failures, and the recall are summarized
- Prescription Drug Importation and Internet Sales: A Legal Overview
- No Description Available.
- "Price Gouging," the Antitrust Laws, and Vertical Integration in the Petroleum Industry: How They Are Related
- This report, which may be updated to further reflect congressional action, attempts to provide the antitrust context for prohibited practices, such as "price gouging"; notes prior congressional action concerning vertical divestiture in the petroleum industry; and provides information on the state "divorcement" statutes.
- The FDA 2009 Budget Request
- The Administration's FY2009 budget request of $2.4 billion for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would provide a 5.7% increase ($130 million) over FY2008. User fees would make up about 26% of the total amount requested and would account for 61% of the proposed increase. Budget documents indicate that the additional funding would provide for expanded activities to ensure the safety of foods and drugs, as well as to accelerate the availability of new medical products. About half of the requested increase would be used for cost-of-living pay increases, as opposed to new program activities.
- Payday Loans: Federal Regulatory Initiatives
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Advertising: Whether the FDA's Restrictions Violate Freedom of Speech
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Advertising: The Constitutionality of Limiting its Tax Deductibility
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Marketing and Advertising Restrictions in S. 1648, 105th Congress: First Amendment Issues
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Marketing and Advertising Restrictions in S. 1415, 105th Congress: First Amendment Issues
- No Description Available.
- Identity Theft and the Fair Credit Reporting Act: An Analysis of
- This report provides information about An Analysis of on Identity Theft and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This report will provide a brief summary of the fair credit reporting act provisions in question, as well as an analysis of the recent supreme court decisions.
- Identity Theft and the Fair Credit Reporting Act: An Analysis of
- This report provides information about An Analysis of on Identity Theft and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This report will provide a brief summary of the fair credit reporting act provisions in question, as well as an analysis of the recent supreme court decisions.
- Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: An Overview of Implementation for Dual Eligibles
- This report provides background information on the early stages of the implementation of the Medicare Part D outpatient prescription drug program. This report describes certain policies and implementation issues related to those who are not dually eligible.
- Farm Product "Check-Off" Programs: A Constitutional Analysis
- This report begins with a brief introduction to check-off programs and then describes many of the First Amendment principles that have been discussed in checkoff cases. Next is an analysis of the first two challenges that reached the Supreme Court, as well as a brief discussion of subsequent lower court decisions. This report concludes with a discussion of Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association and its possible implications for check-off programs.
- Legal Issues Related to Prescription Drug Sales on the Internet
- No Description Available.
- Fair Credit Reporting Act: Preemption of State Law
- As financial privacy issues are debated in Congress, numerous questions about the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) have emerged. Enacted in 1970, the Fair Credit Reporting Act is the federal statute that establishes a regulatory framework for credit reporting in the United States and establishes a consumer’s rights with respect to his or her credit report. This report attempts to answer frequently asked questions about the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
- Urea-Formaldehyde Foam Insulation: Health Effects and Regulation
- No Description Available.
- Urea-Formaldehyde Foam Insulation: Health Effects and Regulation
- No Description Available.
- Securities Litigation Reform: Unfinished Business?
- No Description Available.
- The Liability Insurance Controversy
- This report discusses liability insurance, as the primary method of managing business related risks that has been recognized as one of the foundations of American comnerce.
- The Liability Insurance Controversy
- This report discusses liability insurance, as the primary method of managing business related risks that has been recognized as one of the foundations of American commerce.
- U.S. Tobacco Production, Consumption, and Export Trends
- No Description Available.
- U.S. Tobacco Production, Consumption, and Export Trends
- No Description Available.
- Tobacco Legislation in the 105th Congress: Side-by-Side Comparison of S. 1415, S. 1530, S. 1638, S. 1889, H.R. 3474, and H.R. 3868
- No Description Available.
- Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview
- China is a major source of U.S. imports of consumer products (such as toys) and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of unsafe seafood, pet food, toys, tires, and other products imported from China over the past year or so have raised concern in the United States over the health, safety, and quality of imported Chinese products. This report provides an overview of this issue and implications for U.S.-China trade relations.
- Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview
- China is a major source of U.S. imports of consumer products (such as toys) and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of unsafe seafood, pet food, toys, tires, and other products imported from China over the past year or so have raised concern in the United States over the health, safety, and quality of imported Chinese products. This report provides an overview of this issue and implications for U.S.-China trade relations.
- Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview
- China is a major source of U.S. imports of consumer products (such as toys) and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of unsafe seafood, pet food, toys, tires, and other products imported from China over the past year or so have raised concern in the United States over the health, safety, and quality of imported Chinese products. This report provides an overview of this issue and implications for U.S.-China trade relations.
- The Liability Insurance Crisis
- This report discusses liability insurance crisis, including complaints from businesses, professionals , and municipalities as well threat of lawsuits.