Congressional Research Service Reports - 525 Matching Results
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- European Union–U.S. Trade and Investment Relations: Key Issues
- No Description Available.
- Trade Primer: Qs and As on Trade Concepts, Performance, and Policy
- This report is divided into four sections in a question-and-answer format: trade concepts, U.S. trade performance, formulation of U.S. trade policy, and trade and investment issues. The first section on "Trade Concepts" deals with why countries trade, the consequences of trade expansion, and the relationship between globalization and trade. The second section, on trade performance, focuses on the U.S. trade deficit and its impact on industries. The third section deals with the roles played by the Executive Branch, Congress, the private sector, and the Judiciary in the formulation of U.S. trade policy. The fourth section, on U.S. trade and investment policy, asks questions related to trade negotiations and agreements and to imports, exports, and investments.
- The 2010 Oil Spill: Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act
- The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill leaked an estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, damaging the waters, shores, and marshes, and the fish and wildlife that live there. When resources in the public trust are harmed by contamination, federal, state, foreign, and tribal governments may seek compensation for damage to natural resources under certain laws. This is done in two steps: first, by assessing the harm; then, by determining how and what restoration will take place. Compensation for natural resource damage is intended to restore the natural resources to their condition before the damage and to compensate the public for the lost use of those resources. This report discusses legislation that provides a framework for assessing and mitigating the damage caused by such spills.
- The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor
- No Description Available.
- House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct: A Brief History of Its Evolution and Jurisdiction
- This report provides a history of the creation and evolution of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
- Economics of Guaranteed Student Loans
- No Description Available.
- Has the U.S. Government Ever "Defaulted"?
- This report discusses the concept of default in the context of the federal government's financial obligations and provides examples of past cases in which the federal government failed to make certain payments on time.
- The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases
- This report discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase, an historical overview of debt limits, and how the current economic slowdown has led to higher deficits and thereby a series of debt limit increases, as well as legislation related to these increases.
- Rare Earth Elements in National Defense: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress
- This report covers concerns that Congress has expresses over U.S. acquisition of rare earth elements, particularly those used in various components of defense weapon systems. Specific concerns are the acquisition of these elements, especially from foreign sources such as China; how dependence of foreign sources affects national security; and methods for decreasing the relationship between reliance on foreign sources and national security.
- H.R. 5825 (109th Congress): "Electronic Surveillance Modernization Act"
- This report discusses the National Security Agency’s “Terrorist Surveillance Program,” a program in which international communications of persons within the United States have been the subject of electronic surveillance without a warrant or a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court order.
- Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice
- On June 19, 2009, the House voted to impeach U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The impeachment process provides a mechanism for removal of the President, Vice President, and other federal civil officers found to have engaged in "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." This report explains the impeachment process, including its history and the process itself.
- Assistance After Hurricanes and Other Disasters: FY2004 and FY2005 Supplemental Appropriations
- This report presents summary information on the requests and congressional action for supplemental disaster relief funding for FY2004.
- Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency
- This report summarizes several federal statutes providing legal authority for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) programs and activities. These include: the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Ocean Dumping Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), the Emergency Planning Act, and the Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
- The Animal Welfare Act: Background and Selected Legislation
- No Description Available.
- Farm Bill Trade and Food Aid Provisions
- This report discusses the trade provisions of omnibus farm legislation, passed in May 2002. The measure includes a trade title reauthorizing, through 2007, the major foreign food aid and agricultural export programs. It also contains other provisions affecting agricultural trade, including new country-of-origin labeling requirements for meat, seafood, and produce; and increased domestic farm subsidies with possible implications for U.S. trade relations.
- Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Selected Proposals
- This report discusses bills introduced into the 110th Congress pertaining to food safety that could affect farmers and ranchers. Several of these bills would expressly require enforceable on-farm safety standards.
- Food Safety: Oversight and Current Issues
- No Description Available.
- Horse Slaughter Prevention Bills and Issues
- This report examines more than 90,000 U.S. horses which were slaughtered for human food in 2005, mainly for European and Asian consumers. Congress voted to limit the use of FY2006 appropriated funds for such slaughter, but the practice continues, funded by industry user fees. Debate continues on the acceptability of horse slaughter, and how to care for and/or humanely dispose of horses if they no longer went for human food. On September 7, 2006, the full House approved a bill (H.R. 503) to ban horse slaughter.
- Presidential Preferences and Delegate Selection Primaries: A Select Bibliography
- This report provides a bibliography of resources related to presidential preferences and delegate selection primaries.
- Energy Policy: 112th Congress Issues and Legislative Proposals
- This report discusses the energy policy in the United States, which has focused on three major goals: assuring a secure supply of energy, keeping energy costs low, and protecting the environment.
- Gasoline Prices: Causes of Increases and Congressional Response
- This report, after analyzing factors that have contributed to high gasoline prices, describes the major legislative initiatives and discusses the issues involved.
- Extending NASA’s Exemption from the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act
- No Description Available.
- Mexico's Drug Trafficking Organizations: Source and Scope of the Rising Violence
- This report provides background on drug trafficking in Mexico: it identifies the major drug trafficking organizations (DTOs); how the organized crime “landscape” has been altered by fragmentation; and analyzes the context, scope, and scale of the violence. It examines current trends of the violence, analyzes prospects for curbing violence in the future, and compares it with violence in Colombia.
- The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11
- Congress has approved appropriations for the past 13 years of war that total $1.6 trillion for military operations, base support, weapons maintenance, training of Afghan and Iraq security forces, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans' health care for the war operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks. This report discusses the Department of Defense's FY2015 war request and various issues for Congress regarding the funding of the war on terror.
- FY2010 Supplemental for Wars, Disaster Assistance, Haiti Relief, and Other Programs
- This report discusses the $64 billion in requested supplemental appropriations for FY2010, which includes $2.8 billion for Haiti earthquake-related reconstruction and foreign aid and $243 million for activities related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and more.
- Obtaining a Record Vote on the House Floor
- The House of Representatives uses two kinds of votes in which the names and positions of individual Members are recorded: (1) the recorded vote, used chiefly in Committee of the Whole, though also in order in the House, and (2) the yea and nay vote, in order only in the House proper. Both kinds together are referred to as record votes or, more informally, as “roll call votes,” and both are normally taken by electronic device. This report illustrates forms commonly used for obtaining each kind of vote.
- Certain Temporary Tax Provisions Scheduled to Expire in 2009 (“Extenders”)
- This report discusses numerous temporary tax provisions exist in the tax code. Often referred to as “extenders,” these provisions were originally enacted with an expiration date that has then been temporarily extended, in some cases numerous times.
- Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act of 1979: Background, Provisions, and Cost
- A look at how the Chrysler Loan Guarantee Act of 1979 affected TARP funding for the Detroit Big Three.
- Tax Gap: Proposals in the 110th Congress to Require Brokers to Report Basis on Publicly Traded Securities
- Recent and projected large deficits and the need for revenue to offset spending or tax reduction proposals generated congressional and executive branch interest in different proposals to reduce the tax gap; and consequently, raise additional revenue. Proposals in the 110th Congress to require brokers to report adjusted basis on publicly traded securities sold by individuals are examined in this report.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Other Mental Health Problems in the Military: Oversight Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the prevalence of different psychological health concerns within the Armed Forces, current mental health screening and treatments, and DOD responses.
- Libya: Transition and U.S. Policy
- This report discusses the revolution and current conflict in Libya. The current crisis was triggered in mid-February 2011 by a chain of events in Benghazi and other eastern cities that quickly spiraled out of Qadhafi's control. Although Libyan opposition groups had called for a so-called "day of rage" on February 17 to commemorate protests that had occurred five years earlier, localized violence erupted prior to the planned national protests. As of April 25, U.S. and coalition officials stated that coalition military operations had destroyed the ability of the Libyan military to control Libyan airspace and had reduced the capability of Libyan ground forces by roughly 30%-40%.
- Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations
- This report discusses the current state of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its relationship with the United States, and future initiatives to further develop U.S.-Saudi relations. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ruled by the Al Saud family since its founding in 1932, wields significant global political and economic influence. Close U.S.-Saudi official relations have survived a series of challenges since the 1940s, and, in recent years, shared concerns over Sunni Islamist extremist terrorism and Iranian regional ambitions have provided a renewed logic for continued strategic cooperation.
- The Gulf Security Dialogue and Related Arms Sale Proposals
- This report describes the structure and objectives of the Gulf Security Dialogue; briefly assesses its regional implications; summarizes related proposed arms sales; provides an overview of congressional notification and review procedures; and analyzes recent related activity in the Administration and Congress.
- Military Aircraft, the F/A-18EF Super Hornet Program: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses aviation modernization program, more specifically the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet program and Key issues surrounding the program that relate to the total number of Super Hornets to be procured.
- Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery
- This report briefly discusses the options for federal support and assistance for areas affected by wildfire disasters, including the period during wildfires, in the aftermath, and subsequently for preventing a recurrence.
- Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects
- This report discusses the causes of funding gaps and shutdowns of the federal government, processes that are associated with shutdowns, and how agency operations may be affected by shutdowns. The report concludes with a discussion of potential issues for Congress.
- United States Government Budget Receipts, Expenditures, Surplus or Deficit, and National Debt Level Associated with Each President of the United States, 1789-1973
- This table maps out receipts and expenditures for each President of the United States.
- Drug Testing In Sports: Proposed Legislation
- This report provides a summary of the six bills currently before Congress and a side-by-side comparison of their major provisions.
- Indian Reserved Water Rights Under the Winters Doctrine: An Overview
- No Description Available.
- Congressional Primer on Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies
- This report provides information to aid policymakers as they navigate the many levels of responsibility, and numerous policy pressure points that occur after a disaster. It describes the laws and administrative policies governing the disaster response and recovery process. The report also reviews the legislative framework that exists for providing federal financial assistance following disasters, as well as the policies the executive branch employs to provide supplemental help to state, tribal, and local governments during time of disasters.
- Congressional Primer on Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies
- This report provides information to aid policymakers as they navigate the many levels of responsibility, and numerous policy pressure points; it describes the laws and administrative policies governing the disaster response and recovery process. The report also reviews the legislative framework that exists for providing federal financial assistance following disasters, as well as the policies the executive branch employs to provide supplemental help to state, tribal, and local governments during time of disasters.
- ARRA Section 1603 Grants in Lieu of Tax Credits for Renewable Energy: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Options
- This report discusses the background of section 1603 grants in lieu of tax credits, renewable energy market response to section 1603 and Impact of the 1603 grant program.
- United Nations System Funding: Congressional Issues
- This report tracks the process by which Congress provides the funding for U.S. assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the United Nations, its agencies, and U.N. peacekeeping operation accounts, as well as for U.S. voluntary contributions to U.N. system programs and funds. It includes information on the President's request and the congressional response, as well as congressional initiatives during this legislative process. Basic information is provided to help the reader understand this process.
- Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2015
- This report discusses the process through which members of Congress are compensated. Members of Congress only receive salaries during the terms for which they are elected. Former Members of Congress may be eligible for retirement benefits. This report contains information on actions taken affecting each pay year since the establishment of the Ethics Reform Act adjustment procedure. It also provides information on other floor action related to pay for Members of Congress.
- Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy
- This report discusses the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region that are set by the President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year.
- Unauthorized Alien Students: Issues and "DREAM Act" Legislation
- Multiple bills have been introduced in recent Congresses to address the unauthorized student population. While there are other options for dealing with this population, this report deals exclusively with the DREAM Act approach of proposing relief for unauthorized students in light of the widespread congressional interest in it.
- Unauthorized Aliens in the United States: Policy Discussion
- This report discusses the unauthorized immigrant (illegal alien) population in the United States, which is a key and controversial immigration issue.
- Unauthorized Aliens in the United States: Policy Discussion
- This report discusses the unauthorized immigrant (illegal alien) population in the United States, which is a key and controversial immigration issue.
- Ballast Water Management to Combat Invasive Species
- The 111th Congress may elect to consider legislation (H.R. 500 and S. 237) that has been introduced to amend and reauthorize the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to further study vessel ballast water management standards and modify how ballast water is handled. This report provides background on various approaches to ballast water management and reviews current ballast water management laws and programs.
- Fishery, Aquaculture, and Marine Mammal Legislation in the 108th Congress
- This report discusses policy and legislation regarding fish and marine mammals. These animals are important resources in open ocean and nearshore coastal areas. Commercial and sport fishing are jointly managed by the federal government and individual states. Many laws and regulations guide the management of these resources by federal agencies.