Congressional Research Service Reports - 52 Matching Results

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Amber Alert Program Technology

Description: This report describes Amber Alert Program Technology.
Date: November 25, 2008
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The World Bank's Clean Technology Fund (CTF)

Description: The United States Treasury has led efforts to create a $10 billion Clean Technology Fund (CTF), located at the World Bank, to help fund deployment of clean technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing economies. The Bush administration has asked Congress to authorize and appropriate U.S. funding of $2 billion over three years (FY2009 to FY2011). While many Members of Congress have expressed support for the CTF, others have raised concerns, primarily with respect to whether the CT… more
Date: November 24, 2008
Creator: Weiss, Martin A. & Logan, Jeffrey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Border Searches of Laptop Computers and Other Electronic Storage Devices

Description: This report discusses a developing issue in the law of search and seizure: whether the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution permits warrantless searches of the content of laptop computers and other electronic storage devices at U.S. borders. The federal courts that have addressed this issue have held that the border search exception to the Fourth Amendment applies to these searches, making warrantless searches permissible.
Date: November 17, 2008
Creator: Kim, Yule & Henning, Anna C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress

Description: This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduced during the 110th Congress. Most action in the second session is focused on the FY2009 budget request and legislation that would extend or modify selected renewable energy and energy efficiency tax incentives.
Date: November 13, 2008
Creator: Sissine, Fred; Cunningham, Lynn J. & Gurevitz, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of the history of science and technology (S&T) advice to the President and discusses selected issues and options for Congress regarding the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director, OSTP management and operations, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
Date: November 10, 2008
Creator: Stine, Deborah D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Funding Issues and Activities

Description: This report discusses the federal government's role in the country's information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) activities. The government's support of IT R&D began because it had an important interest in creating computers and software that would be capable of addressing the problems and issues the government needed to solve and study.
Date: October 23, 2008
Creator: Figliola, Patricia Moloney
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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America COMPETES Act: Programs, Funding, and Selected Issues

Description: This report provides an overview of the America COMPETES Act provisions, summarizes its legislative origin and the origins of some of the new programs it authorizes, analyzes selected America COMPETES Act programs that are the focus of appropriation discussions, and provides a comparison of the President's budget, congressional appropriations, and America COMPETES Act authorization levels for FY2008.
Date: October 17, 2008
Creator: Stine, Deborah D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Universal Service Fund: Background and Options for Reform

Description: This report discusses the idea that all Americans should be able to afford access to the telecommunications network; this is commonly called the "universal service concept" and can trace its origins back to the 1934 Communications Act.
Date: September 15, 2008
Creator: Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Protection of Children Online: Federal and State Laws Addressing Cyberstalking, Cyberharassment, and Cyberbullying

Description: This report discusses Internet crimes, such as cyberbullying, cyberharassment, and cyberstalking, along with the limitations of such laws in the current environment. While Congress, under the Commerce Clause, has authority to regulate the Internet, Internet "harassment" presents new challenges for legislators in terms of defining and prosecuting such activity.
Date: September 5, 2008
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Siting of Wireless Communications Facilities: An Overview of Federal, State, and Local Law

Description: The siting of wireless communications facilities has been a topic of controversy in communities all over the United States. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 governs federal, state, and local regulation of the siting of communications towers by placing certain limitations on local zoning authority without totally preempting state and local law. This report provides an overview of the federal, state, and local laws governing the siting of wireless communications facilities.
Date: September 4, 2008
Creator: Ruane, Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview

Description: This report explores the issue of data mining in detail and in the context of homeland security, as well as relevant initiatives and pieces of legislation. Often used as a means for detecting fraud, assessing risk, and product retailing, data mining involves the use of data analysis tools to discover previously unknown, valid patterns and relationships in large data sets. In the context of homeland security, data mining can be a potential means to identify terrorist activities, such as money tr… more
Date: August 27, 2008
Creator: Seifert, Jeffrey W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy

Description: This report discusses congressional interest in the pace of U.S. technological advancement due to its influence on U.S. economic growth, productivity, and international competitiveness. The proper role of the federal government in technology development and the competitiveness of U.S. industry continues to be a topic of congressional debate.
Date: August 25, 2008
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview

Description: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a mandate to increase the competitiveness of U.S. firms and provide the measurement, calibration, and quality assurance techniques that underpin U.S. commerce. Congressional debate has focused on the merits of NIST's external R&D programs directed toward increased private sector commercialization, including the now terminated Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). This report discusses th… more
Date: August 20, 2008
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Technology Innovation Program

Description: This report discusses the Technology Innovation Program (TIP), which was created at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to replace the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). This report also discusses the appropriations provided for this program by the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, as well as related financial and budgetary data.
Date: August 20, 2008
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Endangered Species Act and “Sound Science”

Description: This report approaches the complex issues surrounding "sound science" by discussing recent controversies, the role of science in general, what science is and what it can and cannot do - as the background for assessing the adequacy of science in ESA implementation; the role of science in legal and policy ESA context; legislation to address concerns relating to ESA science
Date: August 7, 2008
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. Lynne; Baldwin, Pamela & Alexander, Kristina
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nanotechnology and Environmental, Health, and Safety: Issues for Consideration

Description: This report identifies the potential environmental, health, and safety opportunities and challenges of nanotechnology; explains the importance of addressing nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns; identifies and discusses nanotechnology EHS issues; and summarizes options for Congressional action, including the nanotechnology EHS-related provisions of selected legislation. The report also includes two appendices.
Date: August 6, 2008
Creator: Sargent, John F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Universal Service Fund: Background and Options for Reform

Description: This report discusses the idea that all Americans should be able to afford access to the telecommunications network; this is commonly called the "universal service concept" and can trace its origins back to the 1934 Communications Act.
Date: August 1, 2008
Creator: Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Engineered Nanoscale Materials and Derivative Products: Regulatory Challenges

Description: The purpose of this report is to consider certain challenges faced by federal EHS risk assessors, risk managers, and policy makers, and to discuss possible legislative approaches to address those challenges.
Date: July 18, 2008
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Engineered Nanoscale Materials and Derivative Products: Regulatory Challenges

Description: The purpose of this report is to consider certain challenges faced by federal EHS (environmental, human health and safety) risk assessors, risk managers, and policy makers, and to discuss possible legislative approaches to address those challenges.
Date: July 18, 2008
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress

Description: This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduced during the 110th Congress. Most action in the second session is focused on the FY2009 budget request and legislation that would extend or modify selected renewable energy and energy efficiency tax incentives.
Date: June 20, 2008
Creator: Sissine, Fred; Cunningham, Lynn J. & Gurevitz, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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