Congressional Research Service Reports - 50 Matching Results
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- Emergency Use Authorization and FDA's Related Authorities
- This report discusses when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may permit a medical product to be provided to patients outside of the standard regulatory framework.
- Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Legal Framework
- This report discusses the various legal authorities and regulations that govern offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling in U.S. waters. The report also discusses recent executive action and legislative proposals concerning offshore oil and natural gas exploration and production.
- Special Counsels, Independent Counsels, and Special Prosecutors: Legal Authority and Limitations on Independent Executive Investigations
- This report analyzes the use of special prosecutors and independent counsels that were authorized under now-expired provisions of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as well as the use of special counsels that are currently authorized by DOJ regulations. A glossary of terms at the beginning of the report briefly defines these italicized terms (see Table 1). The report continues with an examination of various constitutional issues relevant to these efforts.
- Can the Government Prohibit 18-Year Olds From Purchasing Firearms?
- This report discusses whether the federal government can prevent 18 year old individuals from buying firearms. The report examines case law regarding the issue.
- EPA Proposes to Repeal the Clean Power Plan
- This report discuses the EPA proposal in October 2017 to repeal the "Clean Power Plan" due to their determination after review of the rule that it exceeded their statutory authority to implement it. Steps in the process of repealing the rule, the outcome of the current court case regarding the rule, and possible replacement rules regarding Carbon dioxide emissions and power plants.
- Two-Sided Credit Card Markets: The Supreme Court Takes Up Novel Antitrust Issue
- This report discusses the case of "Ohio v. American Express" which the Supreme Court has accepted for hearing which poses the question of how federal antitrust law should treat two-sided markets which are platforms in which two distinct user groups operate in an interdependent way. The case challenges anti-steering clauses in American Express contract agreements with merchants that prevent the merchants from promoting the use of other credit cards. The case has the potential to change the way vendors accept card payments across the country--but the case also provides the Supreme Court with the opportunity to guide the lower courts that are increasingly confronting antitrust issues concerning two-sided markets. As a result, the American Express case raises several issues for Congress that could implicate its legislative and oversight roles with respect to the financial services industry and, more generally, the regulation of two-sided markets.
- Iran Sanctions
- This report discusses U.S. sanctions against Iran and the 2016 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement which led to the lifting of sanctions based on nuclear proliferation in Iran. The bulk of the report outlines the various sanctions against Iran and their current implementation status, international efforts to bring about compliance, and their effects. Recent discussions regarding President's Trump announcement that the U.S. was decertifying the nuclear agreement and the possibility of reinstating certain sanctions are also discussed.
- Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA): Background and Funding
- This report provides an overview of the federal response to domestic violence--defined broadly to include acts of physical and nonphysical violence against spouses and other intimate partners--through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). The report begins with background on the definitions of domestic violence, family violence, and related terms. This background section also describes the risk factors for domestic violence and estimates of the number of victims. The next section of the report addresses the history leading up to the enactment of FVPSA, and the major components of the act: a national domestic violence hotline, support for domestic violence shelters and non-residential services, and coordination efforts to prevent domestic violence. The report then discusses recent efforts under FVPSA to assist children and youth exposed to domestic violence, including teen dating violence. Finally, the report provides an overview of FVPSA's interaction with other federal laws, including the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
- Pending ACA Legal Challenges Remain as Congress Pursues Health Care Reform
- This report discusses developments since January 2017 related to legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and health care reform.
- Immigration Officer's Authority to Apprehend and Remove Aliens: Questions and Answers in Brief
- This report provides brief answers to some of the questions regarding immigration agents' authority to apprehend and remove aliens; these questions were raised by reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted enforcement actions in at least six states during the week of February 6, 2017.
- U.S. Postal Service Rolls Back Its Prices
- This report discusses the USPS drop in the price of First-Class "Forever" (or equivalent domestic letter) postage.
- Federal Power over Local Law Enforcement Reform: Legal Issues
- This report will examine several constitutional principles relevant to this issue and apply them to the various legislative proposals.
- U.S.-EU Cooperation on Ukraine and Russia
- This report briefly discusses U.S.-EU responses to the Ukrainian conflict, specifically focusing on the possible expansion of sanctions against Russia.
- Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations
- This report provides information on legislative provisions restricting relations with Cuba. It lists the various provisions of law comprising economic sanctions on Cuba, including key laws that are the statutory basis of the embargo, and provides information on the authority to lift or waive these restrictions.
- Body Armor for Law Enforcement Officers: In Brief
- This report contains an overview of the Matching Grant Program for Law Enforcement Armor Vests (BPV program). It also provides a discussion of data on law enforcement agencies that require their officers to wear armor vests while on duty, research on why officers may choose to wear armor vests, research on the life cycle for armor vests, data on the use of body armor by law enforcement officers who were killed with a firearm, and research on the effectiveness of armor vests.
- The Workforce Investment Act and the One-Stop Delivery System
- This report provides details of WIA Title I state formula program structure, services, allocation formulas, and performance accountability. In addition, it provides a program overview for national grant programs. It also provides brief overviews of Titles II and IV. Title III of WIA amends the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, which establishes the Employment Service (ES), to make the ES an integral part of the One-Stop system created by WIA. Because the ES is a central part of the One-Stop system, it is discussed briefly in this report even though it is authorized by separate legislation (Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933).
- Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview
- This report discusses the immigration problem regarding the number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) arriving in the United States borders. The report discusses the scope of the problem, current policy challenges, and the processing and treatment of the UAC apprehended.
- Body Armor for Law Enforcement Officers: In Brief
- This report contains an overview of the Matching Grant Program for Law Enforcement Armor Vests (BPV program). It also provides a discussion of data on law enforcement agencies that require their officers to wear armor vests while on duty, research on why officers may choose to wear armor vests, research on the life cycle for armor vests, data on the use of body armor by law enforcement officers who were killed with a firearm, and research on the effectiveness of armor vests.
- Biological Opinions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A Case Law Summary
- This report is a Case Law Summary about Biological Opinions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
- Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS): Current Legislative Issues
- This report provides an overview and analysis of issues Congress might consider if it chooses to take up legislation to reauthorize the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.
- State Legalization of Recreational Marijuana: Selected Legal Issues
- This report summarizes the Washington and Colorado marijuana legalization laws and evaluates whether, or the extent to which, they may be preempted by the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) or by international agreements. It also describes and analyzes the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ's) response to these legalization initiatives. The report then identifies certain noncriminal consequences that marijuana users may face under federal law. Finally, the report closes with a description of selected legislative proposals introduced in the 113th Congress relating to the treatment of marijuana under federal law.
- 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.
- In Brief: Assessing the January 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG)
- This report briefly describes the assessing of the January 2012 defense strategic guidance (DSG).
- 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.
- 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.
- Drug Offenses: Maximum Fines and Terms of Imprisonment for Violation of the Federal Controlled Substances Act and Related Laws
- This report is a chart of the maximum fines and terms of imprisonment that may be imposed as a consequence of conviction for violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and other drug supply and drug demand related laws.
- Intelligence Identities Protection Act
- This report provides an overview of the intelligence identities protection act.
- Unauthorized Aliens Residing in the United States: Estimates Since 1986
- This report presents data estimating since 1986 the number of unauthorized aliens who have been living in the United States.
- Iran Sanctions
- This report analyzes U.S. and international sanctions against Iran and provides examples of companies and countries that conduct business with Iran, based on a wide range of open-source reporting.
- Low-Income Assistance Programs: Trends in Federal Spending
- This report examines the spending trends of 10 major need-tested benefit programs or groups of programs: (1) health care from Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP); (2) the refundable portion of the health insurance tax credit enacted in the 2010 health care reform law; (3) The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); (4) assisted housing; (5) financial assistance for post-secondary students (Pll Grants); (6) compensatory education grants to school districts; (7) Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); (8) The Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC); (9) Supplemental Security Income (SSI); (10) Family Support Payment
- Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) Status for Russia and U.S.-Russian Economic Ties
- This report discusses the issues surrounding whether or not the U.S. should grant Russia permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) following its accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO). The change in Russia's trade status will require legislation to lift the restrictions of Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 as they apply to Russia, which includes the "freedom-of-emigration" requirements of the Jackson-Vanik amendment.
- Burma's Political Prisoners and U.S. Sanctions
- The installation of the Union Government in 2011 and the undertaking of initial reforms have raised the prospects for the resumption of a democratically elected civilian government in Burma after five decades of military rule. The release of Burma's political prisoners has a central role in U.S. policy and Burma's political future. Many of the U.S. sanctions on Burma were implemented after Burma's ruling military junta suppressed protests and detained many political prisoners. In addition, the removal of many of the existing U.S. sanctions requires the release of all political prisoners in Burma.
- The Federal Budget: Issues for FY2011, FY2012, and Beyond
- This report is categorized into three categories: (I) Overview of Budget Cycle, (II) Budgeting in Tough Economics Times, and (III) Considerations for Congress.
- 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.
- Attempt: An Abridged Overview of Federal Criminal Law
- This report is an abridged version of CRS Report R42001, Attempt: An Overview of Federal Criminal Law, by Charles Doyle, without the footnotes, attributions, citations to authority, or appendix found in the longer report.
- Attempt: An Overview of Federal Criminal Law
- It is not a crime to attempt to commit most federal offenses. Unlike state law, federal law has no generally applicable crime of attempt. Congress, however, has outlawed the attempt to commit a substantial number of federal crimes on an individual basis. In doing so, it has proscribed the attempt, set its punishment, and left to the federal courts the task of further developing the law in this area. This report gives a background on, defines, explores defenses of, the sentencing of, and relations of other offenses to attempts of federal crimes.
- The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape
- The report discusses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-Related Congressional Actions in the 112th Congress. The policymakers, including some in Congress, have long called for varying degrees and types of reform to the FCC. Most proposals fall into two categories: (1) procedural changes made within the FCC or through congressional action that would affect the agency's operations or (2) substantive policy changes requiring congressional action that would affect how the agency regulates different services and industry sectors.
- Electronic Voting System in the House of Representatives: History and Usage
- This report examines the legislative history of electronic voting in the House of Representative, discusses the design and initial use of the electronic voting system, and examines the day-to-day operations of the system, including the process for conducing a vote electronically.
- Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act: Operation and Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of the operation and issues for Congress on the federal land transaction facilitation act.
- Foreign Assistance: Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
- This report Discusses about Evolution of the Private Sector Role in U.S. Development Assistance, U.S. Government Development Partners, Potential Benefits of Public-Private Partnerships and Issues for Congress.
- Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program
- The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act (the "SAFER Act") was enacted by the 108th Congress as part of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act. This report describes the SAFER Act in brief, discusses possible budgetary modifications to the SAFER Act that are being considered due to the recent economic downturn, and explores related issues for the 112th Congress as they consider reauthorization.
- Upcoming Rules Pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- This report examines the most recent edition of the Unified Agenda, published on December 20, 2010. The report identifies upcoming proposed and final rules listed in the Unified Agenda that are expected to be issued pursuant to PPACA. The report also briefly discusses the long-term actions listed in the Unified Agenda, as well as some options for congressional oversight over the PPACA rules.
- Emergency Communications: Broadband and the Future of 911
- This report discusses the Summary of 911 Legislation and Policy, Funding and Grants and National Broadband Plan.
- 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.
- Piracy: A Legal Definition
- This report first examines the historical development of the offense of piracy, as defined by Congress and codified in the United States Code. The focus then turns to how contemporary international agreements define piracy. Finally, the report highlights developments in two trials involving charges of piracy in the federal district court in Norfolk, VA, United States v. Said and United States v. Hasan, specifically focusing on how the courts interpreted the definition of piracy under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1651.
- 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.
- Pesticide Use and Water Quality: Are the Laws Complementary or in Conflict?
- This report provides background on the conflict over interpretation and implementation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Clean Water Act. A brief discussion of the two laws is followed by a review of the major litigation of interest. EPA's efforts to clarify its policy in this area and the November 2006 rule and the 2009 federal court ruling are discussed, as well as possible options for EPA and Congress to further address the FIFRA-CWA issues. In June, EPA proposed a draft general CWA permit that it intends to finalize by April 2011 in response to the court ruling.
- Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP): Status and Issues
- The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246, 2008 farm bill) created the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). This report discusses the two main purposes of BCAP, which are (1) to support the establishment and production of eligible crops for conversion to bioenergy in selected areas, and (2) to assist agricultural and forest land owners and operators with collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass conversion facility.
- CRS Issue Statement on Military Strategies and Force Structure
- This report discusses about Military Strategies and force structure. It further discusses about military force structure that includes what types of ground forces and special operation units are required for current and future operations.
- CRS Issue Statement on Missing or Sexually Exploited Individuals
- This report discusses the key policy issues Congress faces related to missing and exploited children, sex offenders, and missing adults.