CRS Documents

To better inform and serve my constituents, I am providing below several well-researched and informative documents from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS is part of the Library of Congress, and is a non-partisan group devoted to supporting Congress with research, analysis and reference.

Should you notice that I have omitted a topic that would be useful to you, please do not hesitate to contact me, or conduct a topical search on the Library of Congress' public site (http://thomas.loc.gov). Note that the links on this page may be viewed using Adobe Reader.

**These documents are courtesy of CRS and do not necessarily reflect my views or opinions.**

American Flag Information

• The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions
• Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment

Animal Rights & Wildlife Protection

• Brief Summaries of Federal Animal Protection Statues
• The Endangered Species Act: A Primer
• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR): New Directions in the 110th Congress
• Wetlands: An Overview of Issues
• National Forest System Roadless Area Initiative

Budget/Taxes

• The Budget Process: An Overview
• Major Tax Issues in the 109^th Congress
• Overview of the Federal Procurement Process and Resources
• Federal Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Taxes: A Description of Current Law
• The Child Tax Credit
• Tax Benefits for Health Insurance and Expenses: Overview of Current Law and Legislation

Business

• Disadvantaged Businesses: A Review of Federal Assistance
• Small Business Administration: Overview and Issues
• Patent Reform in the 110th Congress: Innovation Issues

Children and Families

• V-Chip and TV Ratings: Monitoring Children's Access to TV Programming
• Child Welfare: Program Reauthorizations and Recent FY2006 Proposed Funding Levels

Congress

• Congress' Early Organization Meetings
• House and Senate Vacancies: How Are They Filled?
• Presidential Vetoes: 1789-Present: A Summary Overview
• Congressional Overrides of Presidential Vetoes
• The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction
• Ratification of Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
• Recall of Legislators and the Removal of Members of Congress from Office
• Naming Post Offices Through Legislation
• Congressional Candidacy, Incarceration, and the Constitution's Inhabitancy Qualification
• Messages, Petitions, Communications, and Memorials to Congress
• Membership of the 109^th Congress: A Profile
• Women in the United States Congress: 1917-2004
• Congressional Gold Medals 1776-2004
• House and Senate Rules of Procedure: A Comparison
• Federalism, State Sovereignty, and the Constitution: Basis and Limits of Congressional Power

Congressional Leaders and Offices

• Party Leaders in Congress, 1789-2007: Vital Statistics
• House and Senate Chaplains

Congressional Publications and Information

• The Senate's Calendar of Business
• The Senate's Executive Calendar
• A User's Guide to the Congressional Record
• Congressional Record: Its Production, Distribution, and Accessibility

Crime

• Gun Control Legislation
• Hate Crimes Legislation
• Identity Theft Remedies
• Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Law: Recent Legislation and Issues
• Offender Reentry: Correctional Statistics, Reintegration into the Community, and Recidivism

Defense

• Missile Defense
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues
• Weapons of Mass Destruction Counterproliferation: Legal Issues for Ships and Aircraft
• Nuclear Arms Control: The US/Russia Agenda
• Intelligence Isssues for Congress
• Border Security
• Combating Terrorism: The Challenge of Measuring Effectiveness
• Homosexuals and U.S. Military Policy: Current Issues

Education

• Monitoring Foreign Students in the United: The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
• The No Child Left Behind Act: An Overview of Reauthorization Issues for the 110th Congress
• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act
• Education for the Disadvantaged: Reauthorization Issues for ESEA Title I-A Under the No Child Left Behind Act
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Overview and Selected Issues
• High School Graduation, Completion, and Dropouts: Federal Policy, Programs, and Issues
• Federal Pell Grant Program of the Higher Education Act: Background and Reauthorization
• Higher Education Act Reauthorization: A Comparison of Current Law and S. 1642

Elections

• Campaign Financing
• The FCC's Political Broadcasting Regulations

Energy

• Renewable Energy Issues
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress
• Gasoline Prices: Issues for the 110th Congress
• Fuel Ethanol: Background and Public Policy Issues

Environment/Energy

• Global Climate Change
• ANWR: Background and Issues
• ANWR: Legal Issues
• Alternative Fuels and Advanced Technology Vehicles: Issues in Congress
• Gasoline Prices: New Legislation and Proposals
• Nuclear Energy Policy
• Clean Air Issues in the 110th Congress: Climate Change, Air Quality Standards, and Oversight
• Water Quality Issues in the 110th Congress: Oversight and Implementation
• Climate Change Legislation in the 110th Congress
• Federal Lands Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service (FS): Issues for the 110th Congress
• Recreation on Federal Lands
• The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding
• Ocean Commissions: Ocean Policy Review and Outlook

Executive Branch

• Presidential and Vice Presidential Terms and Tenure
• Presidential Directives: Background and Overview
• Presidential Vetoes, 1789-Present: A Summary Overview
• The Vice Presidency: Evolution of the Modern Office, 1933-2004
• Presidential and Vice Presidential Succession: Overview and Current Legislation
• Federal Agency Performance and Accountability Reports (PARs): Content and Access
• Recess Appointments: An Overview
• Recess Appointments: FAQs

Foreign Policy

• Iraq: Regional Perspectives and U.S. Policy
• Iraq: Government Formation and Benchmarks
• Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security
• The Millennium Challenge Account
• Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Legislative Initiative
• AIDs in Africa
• Iran: US Concerns and Policy Responses
• Iran's Nuclear Program: Recent Developments
• Sudan: The Crisis in Darfur and Status of the North-South Peace Agreement
• Korea: US-Korea Relations-Issues for Congress
• Treatment of 'Battlefield Detainees' in the War on Terrorism

Grants Information

• Federal Grants to State and Local Governments: A Brief History
• Federal Grants to State and Local Governments: Overview and Characteristics
• Grants Work in a Congressional Office

Health

• Child Nutrition and WIC Programs: Background and Funding
• Country-of-Origin Food Labeling
• Overview of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
• How Medicaid Works
• Pandemic Influenza: Domestic Preparedness Efforts
• Domestic Food Assistance: The 2007 Farm Bill and Other Legislation in the 110th Congress
• Federal Drug Price Negotiation: Implications for Medicare Part D
• Medicare Payment Policies
• Medicare: FY2008 Budget Issues
• Medicare: A Primer
• Medicare: Enrollment in Medicare Drug Plans
• Medicaid: A Primer
• Health Insurance: A Primer
• The Public Health and Medical Response to Disasters: Federal Authority and Funding
• Medicaid, SCHIP, and Health Insurance: FY2008 Budget Issues
• Public Health and Medical Preparedness and Response: Issues in the 110th Congress

Homeland Security

• Air Cargo Security
• Project BioShield: Appropriations, Acquisitions, and Policy Implementation Issues for Congress
• Selected Federal Homeland Security Assistance Programs: A Summary
• National Continuity Policy: A Brief Overview
• Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grants Program
• U.S. International Borders: Brief Facts
• Homeland Security Department: FY2007 Appropriations
• Homeland Security Department: FY2008 Appropriations
• Border Security: Key Agencies and Their Missions
• Emergency Communications Legislation: Implications for the 110th Congress
• School and Campus Safety Programs and Requirements in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and Higher Education Act

House of Representatives

• Floor Procedure in the House of Representatives: A Brief Overview
• The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor
• The Legislative Process on the House Floor: An Introduction
• House Schedule: Recent Practices and Proposed Options
• Committee of the Whole: An Introduction
• House Conferees: Selection
• The Discharge Rule in the House: Recent Use in Historical Context
• House Vacancies: Proposed Constitutional Amendments for Filling Them Due to National Emergencies

Telecom / Internet

• How to Find Information in a Library and on the Internet
• Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues
• Statutory Royalty Rates for ?Small? Webcasters: Decision of the Copyright Royalty Board
• Universal Service Fund: Background and Options for Reform
• Net Neutrality: Background and Issues
• Spectrum Use and the Transition to Digital TV
• Spectrum Management: Auctions

Joint Sessions of Congress

• Secret Sessions of the House and Senate
• Amendments Between the Houses

Military

• Military Base Closures: Implementing the 2005 Round
• Military Base Closures: Highlights of th 2005 BRAC Commission Report and Proposed Legeislation
• Military Base Closures: Role and Costs of Environmental Cleanup
• Military Base Closures: Redevelopment Assistance Programs
• Military Base Closures: Socioeconomic Impacts
• Military Medical Care Services
• Missile Defense
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues
• Weapons of Mass Destruction Counterproliferation: Legal Issues for Ships and Aircraft
• Nuclear Arms Control: The US/Russia Agenda

Miscellaneous

• Selected Privileges and Courtesies Extended to Departing and Former Senators
• Commemorative Observances: A Chronological List
• Historic Preservation: Background and Funding
• "Sense of" Resolutions and Provisions
• The Whistleblower Portection Act: An Overview
• "Orphan Works" in Copyright Law
• The Law of Church and State: General Principles and Current Interpretations

NASA

• Synopsis of the Columbia Space Shuttle Report
• The International Space Station and the Space Shuttle

Native American Affairs

• The Bureau of Indian Affairs' Process for Recognizing Groups as Indian Tribes

Senate Leadership and Officials

• Senate Administrative Officers and Officials
• Presiding Officer: Senate
• The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office
• Senate Leadership: Whip Organization
• Senate Leadership Structure: Overview and Party Organization
• Secretary of the Senate: Fact Sheet on Legislative and Administrative Duties
• Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate:?Fact Sheet on Legislative and Administrative Duties
• Guide to Individuals Seated on the Senate Dais

Senate Procedure

• Senate Floor Procedure: A Summary
• The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor
• Flow of Business: Typical Day on the Senate Floor
• Senate Rule XIV: Procedures for Placing Measures Directly on the Senate Calendar
• How Measures are Brought to the Senate Floor: A Brief Introduction
• Calling Up Measures on the Senate Floor
• Senate Amendment Process: General Conditions and Principles
• How Unanimous Consent Agreements Regulate Senate Floor Action
• Unanimous Consent Agreements in the Senate
• Amendments in the Senate: Types and Forms
• The Amending Process in the Senate
• Markup in Senate Committee: Considering Amendments
• How Bills Amend Statutes
• Senate Consideration of Treaties
• Filibusters and Cloture in the Senate
• Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of Senate Bills
• Senate Confirmation Process: An Overview
• Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the Senate
• Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

Senate Committees, Conferences, and Hearings

• Senate Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments
• Senate Committee Reports: Required Contents
• Preparation for Senate Committee Markup
• Senate Rules Affecting Committees
• Senate Rules for Committee Markups
• Going to Conference in the Senate
• Senate Conferees: Their Selection and Authority
• Hearings in the U.S. Senate: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure

Social Security

• Social Security Reform
• Social Security: What Would Happen If the Trust Funds Ran Out

Social Policy/ Services

• Housing Issues in the 110th Congress
• Older Americans Act: FY2007 Funding and FY2008 Budget Request

Terrorism

• The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: An Overview of the Statutory Framework and U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review Decisions
• International Terrorism: Threat, Policy, and Response
• Enemy Combatant Detainees: Habeas Corpus Challenges in Federal Court
• Treatment of 'Battlefield Detainees' in the War on Terrorism

Transportation

• Amtrak: Budget and Reauthorization
• Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization: An Overview of Selected Provisions in Proposed Legislation
• Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration: Background and Issues for Congress
• Transportation Security: Issues for the 110th Congress

U.S. Government and Washington, D.C.

• The Capitol Visitors' Center: An Overview
• World War II Memorial
• Location of Federal Government Offices
• Federal Holidays 

Veterans Affairs

• Veterans' Health Care Issues
• Veterans' Benefits: Issues in the 110th Congress
• Veterans Affairs: Benefits for Service-Connected Disabilities
• Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress
• Pharmaceutical Costs: A Comparison of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Medicaid, and Medicare Policies
• Montgomery GI Bill Education Benefits: Analysis of College Prices and Federal Student Aid Under the Higher Education Act

Voting in the Senate

• Voting in the Senate: Forms and Requirements
• Super-Majority Votes in the Senate
• Ordering a Roll Call Vote in the Senate
• Voting and Quorum Procedures in the Senate