Congressional Research Service Reports - 769 Matching Results
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- S. 625, The Bankruptcy Reform Act, in the Senate: Selected Amendments
- From Summary: "This report surveys selected amendments to the bill which were passed prior to adjournment. On November 4, 1999, before adjournment of the first session of the 106th Congress, S. 625, 106th Cong., 1st Sess. (1999), the Bankruptcy Reform Act, was brought to the floor of the Senate for consideration. More than 300 germane and nongermane amendments were offered."
- American Inventors Protection Act of 1999
- After several years of consideration, on Friday, November 19, 1999, Congress gave final approval to a bill which makes major changes to the patent laws. On this day the Senate passed the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 as part of the Intellectual Property and Communications Omnibus Reform Act of 1999, attached by reference to the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2000. This report summarizes major provisions of the patent reform bill.
- Military Technicians: The Issue of Mandatory Retirement for Non-Dual-Status Technicians
- This report describes the mandatory retirement provisions for certain “non-dual-status” military technicians contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (P.L. 106-65), discusses the stated rationale behind the policy, and quantifies the impact it will likely have on individual technicians.
- Transportation Fuel Taxes: Impacts of a Repeal or Moratorium
- Steep increases in the prices of gasoline, diesel, and other transportation fuels have prompted some Members of Congress to seek to ease the effects on households and businesses. Interest has focused on possible repeal or suspension of the levying of all or part of the federal excise taxes on those fuels. Current market conditions and the small amount of tax relief incorporated in most proposals, however, raise uncertainty as to whether prices to individuals and businesses would fall and whether any price decline would be meaningful to consumers. A reduction in transportation fuel taxes would result in a decrease in spending for transportation trust-fund-supported federal programs, unless Congress designated alternate sources of funding for these programs. As a result of the structure of the federal programs the effects of a fuel tax repeal on federal transportation programs would not necessarily be immediate, but depending on the length/scope of the repeal or suspension, they could be substantial.
- “Student Results Act” (H.R. 2) and “Educational Opportunities Act” (S. 2): Provisions for Limited-English Proficient Students
- No Description Available.
- Civil Service Retirement Bills in the 106th Congress
- Among the civil service retirement issues addressed in bills introduced thus far in the 106th Congress are the correction of retirement coverage errors for federal employees assigned to the wrong retirement system; immediate eligibility for federal employees to participate in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); improved portability of pension benefits; and repeal of the temporary increase in employee retirement contributions that was mandated by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Other bills would expand TSP eligibility to include members of the armed services; improve pension coverage for temporary and part-time federal employees; and designate several categories of federal employees as law enforcement officers for purposes of determining their retirement benefits.
- Midwest Gasoline Prices: A Review of Recent Market Developments
- This report provides background information regarding the especially high gasoline prices in the upper Midwest during the late spring and early summer of 2000. While the Federal Trade Commission is investigating the possibility of collusion, several identifiable factors have contributed to this localized situation. Contributors to the higher prices appear to be problems at two pipelines supplying the area with gasoline, the use of ethanol-only reformulated gasoline in Chicago and Milwaukee, and the high price and low supply of crude oil. The crude oil situation has uniform nationwide impact. Wholesale prices in the Chicago spot market began to decline during the week of June 19 and have fallen by 40 cents per gallon at this writing. This report will be updated as events warrant
- Social Security: Taxation of Benefits
- No Description Available.
- Soil and Water Conservation Issues
- No Description Available.
- Mexico’s Presidential, Legislative, and Local Elections of July 2, 2000
- No Description Available.
- HIV-1/AIDS and Military Manpower Policy
- This is a report on the Military man power policy and a screening for HIV-1 AIDS that was performed on all officials 1985.
- Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety - Federal Program and Legislative Issues
- This report provides Hazardous materials transportation safety - federal program and legislative issues.
- Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy, December 28, 2000
- This report discusses contribution of technological advancement to economic growth and productivity increases. Because technology can contribute to economic growth and productivity increases, congressional interest has focused on how to augment private-sector technological development.
- Reauthorization of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
- No Description Available.
- Gulf Cooperation Council Defense Agreement
- This report provides an overview of the gulf cooperation council defense agreement.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Background on U.S. Policy Concerns
- This report provides an introduction and background information on Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Dayton Peace Accords. The report discusses the U.S. deployment to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the U.S. policy in regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- The Growth of the Private Sector in China and Implications For China’s Accession to the World Trade Organization
- This report discusses the growth of the private sector in China, which has occurred to a large extent from the government’s efforts to reform China’s money-losing state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Workers who have been laid off from SOEs have been encouraged to find jobs in the private sector or to start their own businesses.
- The House's Corrections Calendar
- This report discusses the establishment of the “Corrections Day”, a concept credited to Michigan Governor John Englerwhich, which is a procedure for repealing “the dumbest things the federal government is currently doing and just abolish them.”
- The Supreme Court Upholds EPA Standard-Setting Under the Clean Air Act:
- No Description Available.
- Why Certain Trade Agreements Are Approved as Congressional-Executive Agreements Rather Than as Treaties
- No Description Available.
- Financial Risk: An Overview of Market and Policy Considerations
- This report sets out a framework for considering the issue of financial risk and its regulation. First, basic concepts and the state of the art in private risk management are discussed. Then, scenarios for financial crises that may require government intervention are explored. The next section deals with the development and the shortcomings of tools available to regulators to prevent or cope with crises. The report ends with an analysis of current trends in financial markets and their implications for risk oversight.
- National Emergency Powers
- No Description Available.
- National Emergency Powers
- No Description Available.
- National Monuments and the Antiquities Act: President Clinton’s Designations and Related Issues
- No Description Available.
- Fishery, Aquaculture, and Marine Mammal Legislation in the 107th Congress
- Fish and marine mammals are important resources in the open ocean and nearshore coastal areas. A diverse body of laws and regulations guides the management of these resources by a multitude of federal agencies.
- Social Security and Medicare "Lock Boxes"
- No Description Available.
- Social Security Taxes: Where Do Surplus Taxes Go and How Are They Used?
- No Description Available.
- Social Security Taxes: Where Do Surplus Taxes Go and How Are They Used?
- No Description Available.
- Belarus: Country Background Report
- This short report provides information on Belarus's history, political and economic situation, human rights record, foreign policy, and U.S. relations with Belarus.
- Campaign Finance: Constitutional and Legal Issues of Soft Money
- Soft money is a major issue in the campaign finance reform debate because these generally unregulated funds are perceived as resulting from a loophole in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). Generally, soft money is funds that are raised and spent according to applicable state laws, which FECA prohibits from being spent directly on federal elections, but that may have an indirect influence on federal elections. This Issue Brief discusses three major types of soft money: political party soft money, corporate and labor union soft money, and soft money used for issue advocacy communications.
- Campaign Financing
- This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competition.
- China’s Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region: Developments and U.S. Interests
- This report addresses developments and U.S. interests related to China’s Xinjiang-Uighur autonomous region.
- Juvenile Justice Legislation: Overview and the Legislative Debate
- No Description Available.
- Military Medical Care Services: Questions and Answers
- No Description Available.
- Trade Promotion (Fast-Track) Authority: H.R. 3005 Provisions and Related Issues
- No Description Available.
- Trying Terrorists as War Criminals
- On November 13, 2001, President Bush signed a Military Order pertaining to the detention, treatment, and trial of certain non-citizens in the war against terrorism. The President’s Military Order makes it apparent that he plans to treat the attacks as acts of war rather than criminal acts, and to prosecute those responsible as war criminals, trying them by special military commission rather than in federal court. The purpose of this the report is to clarify the legal basis for treating the acts as war crimes and the ramifications of applying the law of war rather than criminal statutes to prosecute the perpetrators. The discussion focuses on the trial of alleged terrorists and conspirators by a military commission rather than the federal courts. A longer treatment of the issues in this report and an analysis of other relevant issues, including the Military Order, are contained in CRS Report RL 31191.
- The Vietnam-U.S. Normalization Process
- No Description Available.
- Education Finance Incentive Grants Under ESEA Title I
- This report estimates the amount of funds that will be awarded to each state according to the formula, and also describes how the grants reward states that have education finance systems with characteristics favored by the formula.
- Homeland Security: Coast Guard Operations - Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides information about the Background and Issues for Congress on Homeland Security Coast Guard Operations which is a military service and a branch of the armed forces,within the navy upon the declaration of war or when President directs until the president by executive orders it back to DHS
- Land and Water Conservation Fund: Current Status and Issues
- This report provides the current status and issues of land and water conservation fund.
- Land and Water Conservation Fund: Current Status and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Patent Quality and Public Policy: Issues for Innovative Firms in Domestic Markets
- No Description Available.
- Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) Status for Russia and U.S.-Russian Economic Ties
- No Description Available.
- Pipeline Safety: Federal Program and Reauthorization Issues
- No Description Available.
- Rural Education: Legislative Initiatives
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) report for Congress entailing legislative initiatives in regards to rural education . Topics include, new legislation, provisions under the new rural education achievement program under the reauthorized ESEA, implementation, etc..
- SSI Income and Resource Limits: A Fact Sheet
- No Description Available.
- Exempting Food and Agriculture Products from U.S. Economic Sanctions: Status and Implementation
- Falling agricultural exports and declining commodity prices led farm groups and agribusiness firms to urge the 106th Congress to pass legislation exempting foods and agricultural commodities from U.S. economic sanctions against certain countries. In completing action on the FY2001 agriculture appropriations bill, Congress codified the lifting of unilateral sanctions on commercial sales of food, agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical products to Iran, Libya, North Korea, and Sudan, and extended this policy to apply to Cuba (Title IX of H.R. 5426, as enacted by P.L. 106-387; Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000). Related provisions place financing and licensing conditions on sales to these countries. Those that apply to Cuba, though, are permanent and more restrictive than for the other countries. Other provisions give Congress the authority in the future to veto a President's proposal to impose a sanction on the sale of agricultural or medical products.
- Resource Conservation Title: Comparison of Current Law with Farm Bills Passed by the House and Senate
- No Description Available.
- Animal Agriculture: Issues in the 107th Congress
- A variety of animal agriculture issues, including prices, the impact of consolidation in the meat production/packing industry, trade, and the environmental impacts of large feedlots, continue to generate interest in Congress. This issue brief discusses these issues, as well as the 2002 farm bill, which contains several provisions affecting animal agriculture, including protections for contract growers, disaster assistance, country-of-origin labeling, and increased funding for conservation purposes.
- Community Service: A Description of AmeriCorps, Foster Grandparents, and Other Federally Funded Programs
- The purpose of this report is to provide detailed information on each of the programs administered by the Corporation. This includes a description of the services provided, individual eligibility requirements, and the FY2002 funding level.