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open access

Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Description: This report discusses the firefighting activities that are traditionally the responsibility of states and local communities. The report also talks about the funding for firefighters, which is provided mostly by state and local governments. However, during the 106th Congress, many in the fire community asserted that local fire departments require and deserve greater support from the federal government.
Date: January 10, 2013
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
open access

Attorney General's Memorandum on Federal Marijuana Enforcement: Possible Impacts

Description: This report discusses Attorney General Jeff Sessions' memorandum on federal marijuana enforcement policy sent to all U.S. Attorneys that immediately rescinds guidance documents specific to marijuana enforcement. It provides background on the memorandum, the relevant regulations, and implications of withdrawing previous guidance.
Date: January 10, 2018
Creator: Garvey, Todd & Yeh, Brian T.
open access

Availability of Injunctive Relief for Standard-Essential Patent Holders

Description: This report provides an overview of the current debate over whether a holder of a patent essential to an industry standard, who has promised to license such patented technology on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, may nevertheless obtain an injunction from a federal court or an exclusion order from the International Trade Commission against infringing products that implement the industry standard. The report first summarizes several fundamental principles of patent law, th… more
Date: January 10, 2013
Creator: Yeh, Brian T.
open access

Bangladesh Apparel Factory Collapse: Background in Brief

Description: This report provides an overview of the recent tragedy in Bangladesh and the Bangladesh economic environment and culture. It also notes the responses to the tragedy, to date, from Congress, the Administration, the ILO, the Bangladesh government, and the private sector.
Date: January 10, 2014
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
open access

Biennial Budgeting: Issues, Options, and Congressional Actions

Description: This report discusses biennial budgeting, which includes several variations. It may involve multiyear authorizations, two-year budget resolutions, two-year appropriations, or some combination of the three.
Date: January 10, 2017
Creator: Saturno, James V.
open access

Birthright Citizenship Under the 14th Amendment of Persons Born in the United States to Alien Parents

Description: Background of birthright citizenship to alien parents in the U.S. The report ends with a detail of amendments in the 112th Congress that would amend the Constitution to exclude from citizenship at birth persons born in the United States whose parents are unlawfully present in the United States or are non-immigrant aliens.
Date: January 10, 2012
Creator: Lee, Margaret Mikyung
open access

Budget "Sequestration" and Selected Program Exemptions and Special Rules

Description: This report looks at the history and current status of sequestration at it relates to Congress, including how it is enacted and special rules that can apply. "Sequestration" is a process of automatic, largely across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently canceled to enforce certain budget policy goals.
Date: January 10, 2013
Creator: Spar, Karen
open access

Clean Power Plan: Legal Background and Pending Litigation in West Virginia v. EPA

Description: This report provides legal background on the Clean Power Plan rule (CPP) to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), its Clean Air Act (CAA) framework under Section 111, and climate-related lawsuits that have preceded the present litigation over the CPP. It then gives an overview of the participants in the current litigation, including two groups of Members of Congress, who have offered briefs in support of the petitioners and the respondents, respectively.
Date: January 10, 2017
Creator: Tsang, Linda & Wyatt, Alexandra M.
open access

Commercial Fishery Disaster Assistance

Description: The report discusses about Oceanic conditions, climate, and weather events that can impact fishery resources and/or commercial infrastructure such as boats, shore side processing, and ports. It also points out about commercial fishery failure determinations.
Date: January 10, 2013
Creator: Upton, Harold E.
open access

Competition in Federal Contracting: An Overview of the Legal Requirements

Description: This report describes the competition requirements currently governing the procurement activities of federal agencies. It addresses several issues, including what contracts are subject to competition requirements, what constitutes full and open competition for government contracts, and the circumstances permitting agencies to award contracts on the basis of other than full and open competition. It also briefly describes the benefits and drawbacks of competition, situates recent reform efforts w… more
Date: January 10, 2011
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
open access

Computer-Related Occupations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

Description: The report discusses the legislation that has been introduced that would expand the statutory exemption for computer employees to include workers whose job duties include network or database analysis and workers who manage or train employees who qualify for the exemption.
Date: January 10, 2012
Creator: Mayer, Gerald
open access

Criminal Prohibitions on the Publication of Classified Defense Information

Description: The recent online publication of classified defense documents by the organization WikiLeaks and subsequent reporting by the New York Times and other news media have focused attention on whether such publication violates U.S. criminal law. The Justice Department and Department of Defense are investigating the circumstances to determine whether any prosecutions will be undertaken in connection with the disclosure. This report discusses the statutory prohibitions that may be implicated, including … more
Date: January 10, 2011
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
open access

Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances

Description: Restrictions on travel to Cuba have been a key and often contentious component in U.S. efforts to isolate Cuba's communist government since the early 1960s. In January 2011, the Obama Administration announced policy changes further easing restrictions on travel and remittances. In the first session of the 112th Congress, there were several attempts aimed at rolling back the Obama Administration's actions easing restrictions on travel and remittances. Several initiatives were also introduced tha… more
Date: January 10, 2012
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
open access

The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

Description: This report gives an historical overview of debt limits, discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase 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.
Date: January 10, 2013
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
open access

Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs

Description: Veterans' employment outcomes in the civilian labor market are an issue of ongoing congressional interest. This report offers introductory data on veterans' performance in the civilian labor market as well as a discussion of veteran-targeted federal programs that provide employment-related benefits and services.
Date: January 10, 2013
Creator: Collins, Benjamin; Bradley, David H.; Dilger, Robert Jay; Dortch, Cassandria; Kapp, Lawrence; Lowry, Sean et al.
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