Congressional Research Service Reports - 1,256 Matching Results
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- Health Care for Veterans: Traumatic Brain Injury
- This report focuses on current efforts of the VA's Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to understand, identify, and treat Traumatic brain injury (TBI) among veterans.
- Agriculture Issues in U.S.-EU Trade Negotiations
- This report briefly discusses the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) between the U.S. and the European Union (EU). The report also briefly notes the use of agricultural biotechnology.
- The Federal Excise Tax on Motor Fuels and the Highway Trust Fund: Current Law and Legislative History
- No Description Available.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Washington
- No Description Available.
- EPA’s Vessel General Permits: Background and Issues
- This report is an overview of the revised VGP for large vessels and two key issues.
- Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs
- No Description Available.
- “Disadvantaged” Small Businesses: Definitions and Designations for Purposes of Federal and Federally Funded Contracting Programs
- No Description Available.
- Global Health System Strengthening: Issues for Congress
- No Description Available.
- Iran Sanctions. May 2015
- This report 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.
- Consumers and Food Price Inflation
- This report provides information on the current status and outlook for U.S. food prices, measuring their changes and how such changes relate to U.S. consumers.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: West Virginia
- No Description Available.
- FY2016 Extension of the Higher Education Act: An Overview
- No Description Available.
- The Indian Health Service (IHS): An Overview
- This report provides an overview of the IHS and the population it serves.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Wyoming
- This In Focus provides an overview of the assistance provided to Wyoming by the FEMA DRF (Disaster Relief Fund) from 2002-2013.
- Crime Victims’ Rights Act: A Sketch of 18 U.S.C. §3771
- This report is an abridged form of a longer report, without quotation marks, footnotes, appendixes, and most of the citations to authority found in the longer version, which is available as CRS Report RL33679, Crime Victim's Rights Act: A summary and Legal Analysis of 18 U.S.C. 3771, by Charles Doyle.
- Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
- This report discusses the windfall elimination provision (WEP) reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who also have pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. Its purpose is to remove an advantage or “windfall” these workers would otherwise receive as a result of the interaction between the Social Security benefit formula and the workers’ relatively small portion of their careers in Social Security-covered employment.
- Commercial Filming and Photography on Federal Lands
- This report discusses concerns congress attempts to address in regards to commercial filming and photography on federal lands.
- Oil Spills: Background and Governance
- This report reviews the history and trends of oil spills in the United States, and identifies the legal authorities governing oil spill prevention, response, and cleanup.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Illinois
- No Description Available.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Nebraska
- No Description Available.
- FY2016 Appropriations: District of Columbia
- This report is categorized into two categories: (I) FY2016 Budget Request and (II) General Provisions: Key Policy Issues.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Maryland
- No Description Available.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: New Jersey
- This report discusses the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) that is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is the primary source of funding used to provide assistance following a major disaster declaration.
- China as the World’s “Largest Economy”
- Various media have recently reported that China has overtaken the United States to become the world’s largest economy (a position the United States had held at least since 1913), based on estimates of purchasing power parity (PPP) measurements and projections made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This report examines the data and its policy implications.
- The Medical Device Excise Tax: Economic Analysis
- This report reviews the issues surrounding the medical devices tax within the framework of basic principles surrounding the choice of commodities to tax under excise taxes. The next section describes the tax and its legislative origins. After that, the report analyzes the arguments for retaining and repealing the tax.
- Effect of Corinthian Colleges’ Closure on Student Financial Aid: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report answers several frequently asked questions regarding the effect of the sale and closure of CCI's schools as they relate to former CCI students aid.
- Introduction to Financial Services: International Supervision
- This report discusses the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and subsequent global economic turmoil that underscored the interconnectedness of the global financial system as well as its weaknesses. In the wake of the crisis, leaders from the United States and other countries have pursued a wide range of reforms to the international financial regulatory system.
- Qualified Charitable Distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts: Features and Legislative History
- A provision of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-280) allows tax-free distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) for charitable purposes. This report describes the IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) provision.
- Military Funeral Honors and Military Cemeteries: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report is written in response to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about military funeral honors and military cemeteries. It provides information to questions in three general areas: implementation of the funeral honors and eligibility criteria; components of the honor detail and the funeral ceremony; and specific questions on burial and honors at Arlington National Cemetery. It also cites legislation requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to make military funeral honors available to every eligible veteran upon request.
- Softwood Lumber Imports From Canada: Current Issues
- This report examines the status and current issues surrounding Canadian softwood lumber imports since 2006. After providing background information on what constitutes softwood lumber, the stakeholders in the dispute, and the history of the dispute, the report introduces the 2006 SLA and analyzes its impacts on the U.S. lumber industry as well as on the trade relationship between the United States and Canada. Finally, the report discusses the potential issues Congress may consider when the agreement expires in 2015.
- Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Legal Challenges and Solutions
- While considerable debate exists with regard to the best strategies for protecting America’s various cyber-systems and promoting cybersecurity, one point of general agreement amongst cyber-analysts is the perceived need for enhanced and timely exchange of cyber-threat intelligence both within the private sector and between the private sector and the government. This report examines the various legal issues that arise with respect to the sharing of cybersecurity intelligence, with a special focus on two distinct concepts: (1) sharing of cyberinformation within the government’s possession and (2) sharing of cyber-information within the possession of the private sector.
- Small Business Administration and Job Creation
- The Small Business Administration (SBA) administers several programs to support small businesses, including loan guaranty programs, disaster loan programs, management and technical assistance training programs, and federal contracting programs. Congressional interest in these programs has increased in recent years, primarily because they are viewed as a means to stimulate economic activity, create jobs, and assist in the national economic recovery. This report examines the economic research on net job creation to identify the types of businesses that appear to create the most jobs.
- Wilderness: Overview and Statistics
- In 1964, the Wilderness Act established a national system of congressionally designated areas to be preserved in a wilderness condition: “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” This report provides a brief history of wilderness, describes what wilderness is, identifies permitted and prohibited uses in wilderness areas, and provides data on the 109.8 million acres of designated wilderness areas as of January 1, 2015.
- Pharmaceutical Patent-Antitrust: Reverse Payment Settlements and Product Hopping
- This report introduces and analyzes innovation and competition policy issues associated with the pharmaceutical industry. It begins with a review of the Hatch-Waxman Act and its implications upon the availability of generic substitutes for brand-name medications. The report then turns to a basic review of the antitrust law. It then addresses judicial developments with respect to reverse payment settlements and product hopping. The report closes with a summary of congressional issues and possible alternatives.
- Senate Committee Hearings: Preparation
- Committee hearings allow Senators an opportunity to gather information on—and draw attention to—legislation and issues within a committee’s purview, conduct oversight of programs or agencies, and investigate allegations of wrongdoing. This checklist identifies, primarily for staff, many of the tasks that need to be performed by a full committee and, in most cases, subcommittees in advance of a hearing. Some of the tasks are required by Senate or committee rules; others are common committee practice. Some tasks are usually the responsibility of the committee’s majority staff, some are shared by majority and minority staff, and some are performed by a Senator’s personal office staff.
- Columbia River Treaty Review
- This report provides a brief overview of the Columbia River Treaty review. It includes background on the history of the basin and consideration of the treaty, as well as a brief summary of studies and analyses of the Columbia River Treaty review process to date.
- Financial Transactions Taxes: In Brief
- No Description Available.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Kentucky
- No Description Available.
- Research Tax Credit: Current Law and Policy Issues for the 114th Congress
- Technological innovation is a primary engine of long-term economic growth, and research and development (R&D) serves as the lifeblood of innovation. The federal government encourages businesses to invest more in R&D than they otherwise would in several ways, including a tax credit for increases in spending on qualified research above a base amount. This report describes the current status of the credit, summarizes its legislative history, discusses policy issues it raises, and describes legislation to modify and extend it.
- Charter-Time Warner Cable-Bright House Networks Mergers: Overview and Issues
- The combination of Charter, Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC), and Bright House Networks (BHN) would create a single entity providing cable television and broadband access service to 23.9 million customers in 41 states, making it the nation’s second-largest cable television operator and broadband access provider. At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must approve the transactions before they can close.This report describes recent trends in the television industry, the events leading up to the proposed transactions, and the criteria and process of regulatory review.
- The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Standards of Conduct of Brokers, Dealers, and Investment Advisers
- No Description Available.
- Missing Adults: Background, Federal Programs, and Issues for Congress
- The first section of this report discusses demographics and record keeping of missing adults and unidentified remains, as well as some of the factors that may contribute to the disappearance of adults. This section also discusses federally-funded databases that are used to track data on missing adults and unidentified individuals. The second section of the report describes the federal programs and initiatives to assist in locating missing adults, including funding data where applicable. Finally, the third section discusses issues about the federal role in missing adult cases.
- Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses The Coast Guard's Program of Record (POR) calls for procuring 8 national security cutters (NSCs), 25 offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs), and 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) as replacements for 90 aging Coast Guard cutters and Patrol Craft.
- FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Vermont
- No Description Available.
- Mountaintop Mining: Background on Current Controversies
- This report provides background on regulatory requirements, controversies and legal challenges to mountaintop mining, and recent Administration actions. Attention to EPA’s veto of the West Virginia mining permit and other federal agency actions has increased in Congress. Congressional interest in these issues is discussed, including legislation seeking to restrict the practice of mountaintop mining and other legislation intended to block the Obama Administration’s regulatory actions.
- Navy LX(R) Amphibious Ship Program: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the LX(R) amphibious ship program, a Navy program to build a new class of 11 amphibious ships. The Navy wants to procure the first LX(R) in FY2020.
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Background and Overview
- This report provides background information on the historical circumstances that led to the adoption of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), a summary of its major provisions, and a brief discussion of the U.S. Supreme Court decision and related legislation in the 113th and 114th Congresses.
- Small Business Administration Microloan Program
- The Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Microloan program provides direct loans to qualified nonprofit intermediary lenders who, in turn, provide “microloans” of up to $50,000 to small businesses and nonprofit child care centers. It also provides marketing, management, and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and potential borrowers. This report opens with a discussion of the rationale provided for having a Microloan program, describes the program’s eligibility standards and operating requirements for lenders and borrowers, and examines the arguments presented by the program’s critics and advocates. It then discusses P.L. 111-240, the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, which increased the Microloan program’s loan limit for borrowers from $35,000 to $50,000, and the aggregate loan limit for intermediaries after their first year of participation in the program from $3.5 million to $5 million.
- Green Infrastructure and Issues in Managing Urban Stormwater
- Managing stormwater is one of the biggest and most expensive problems facing cities across the United States. This report discusses legislation that has been introduced to support research and implementation of green/innovative stormwater infrastructure. Overall, many in Congress remain concerned about how municipalities will pay for needed investments in water infrastructure projects generally—not limited to green infrastructure—and what role the federal government can and should play in those efforts.
- The HUD Homeless Assistance Grants: Programs Authorized by the HEARTH Act
- This report discusses the Homeless Assistance Grants, administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The composition of the Homeless Assistance Grants changed when Congress enacted the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act in the 111th Congress (P.L. 111-22).