CRS Reports

Cyclone Nargis and Burma’s Constitutional Referendum

May 9, 2008

General Debate in Committee of the Whole

May 8, 2008

Department of Defense “Section 1207” Security and Stabilization Assistance: A Fact Sheet

This report discusses Section 1207 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (P.L. 109-163), which provides authority for DOD to transfer to the State Department up to $100 million per fiscal year in defense articles, services, training or other support for reconstruction, stabilization, and security activities in foreign countries.

May 7, 2008

Enrollment of Legislation: Relevant Congressional Procedures

This report describes the congressional procedure in the enrollment of legislation, which occurs in the chamber where the measure originated and is carried out by enrolling clerks under the supervision of the Clerk of the House of Representatives and Secretary of the Senate.

May 7, 2008

Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

May 6, 2008

High Agricultural Commodity Prices: What Are the Issues?

May 6, 2008

The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Economic and Political Implications

May 1, 2008

The U.S. Trade Situation for Fruit and Vegetable Products

This report presents recent trends in U.S. fruit and vegetable trade, and highlights some of the factors contributing to these trends. This summary excludes trade data for tree nuts and processed tree nut products. Although not presented here, U.S. exports and imports of tree nuts and processed tree nut products (excluding peanuts) have shown continued increases, with a growing trade surplus of $1.8 billion in 2006.

Apr 30, 2008

The Bureau of Reclamation’s Aging Infrastructure

Apr 30, 2008

Earmark Disclosure Rules in the Senate: Member and Committee Requirements

Apr 29, 2008

Earmark Disclosure Rules in the House: Member and Committee Requirements

Apr 29, 2008

FDA Amendments Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-85)

Apr 28, 2008

Earmark Reform: Comparison of New House and Senate Procedural Rules

This report describes and compares the new House and Senate procedures, including an additional House requirement regarding the use of earmarks as leverage for votes.

Apr 24, 2008

The National Security Council: An Organizational Assessment

Apr 21, 2008

Foreign Investment, CFIUS, and Homeland Security: An Overview

Apr 17, 2008

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) With Fewer than Four Members: Overview of Policy Implications

Apr 17, 2008

Franking Privilege: An Analysis of Member Mass Mailings in the House, 1997-2007

Apr 16, 2008

Proposals to Ensure the Availability of Federal Student Loans During an Economic Downturn: A Brief Overview of H.R. 5715 and S. 2815

Apr 15, 2008

Tibet: Problems, Prospects, and U.S. Policy

Apr 10, 2008

Renewable Energy R&D Funding History: A Comparison with Funding for Nuclear Energy, Fossil Energy, and Energy Efficiency R&D

Apr 9, 2008

The Role of Offsets in a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap-and-Trade Program: Potential Benefits and Concerns

Apr 4, 2008

Retirement and Survivor Annuities for Former Spouses of Federal Employees

Apr 3, 2008

The REAL ID Act of 2005: Legal, Regulatory, and Implementation Issues

In 2005, Congress addressed the issue of national standards for drivers’ licenses and personal identification cards by passing The REAL ID Act of 2005 (REAL ID). The act contains a number of provisions relating to improved security for drivers’ licenses and personal identification cards, as well as instructions for states that do not comply with its provisions. In general, while REAL ID does not directly impose federal standards with respect to states’ issuance of drivers’ licenses and personal identification cards, states nevertheless appear compelled to adopt such standards and modify any conflicting laws or regulations to continue to have such documents recognized by federal agencies for official purposes. Both at the time that REAL ID was debated in Congress, and during the regulatory comment period, questions about the constitutionality of the statute have been raised. There have been four main constitutional arguments made against REAL ID. First, because REAL ID cannot be premised on Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce, it is a violation of states’ rights as protected by the Tenth Amendment. Second, the requirement that REAL IDs be used to board federally regulated aircraft impermissibly encroaches on citizens’ right to travel. Third, specific requirements such as the digital photograph potentially violate the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Finally, REAL ID infringes upon a citizen’s right under the First Amendment to freely assemble, associate, and petition the government. Since its adoption in 2005, REAL ID has been a highly contested issue among state legislatures and governors. According to some advocacy groups, state and federal elected officials—including numerous commentators to the proposed regulations—and other interested parties, REAL ID imposes an unconstitutional “unfunded mandate” on the states. Prior to the publication of the proposed rule in 2007, however, there was little activity at the state-lawmaking level, primarily because officials were uncertain as to precisely what the implementation requirements were going to necessitate, either in terms of cost or potential changes to state law. Since the publication of the proposed rule in 2007, there has been a dramatic increase in state responses to REAL ID and its requirements. The final regulations were promulgated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on January 29, 2008, and contain 280 pages of explanation as well as responses to over 21,000 comments. This report contains a summary description and analysis of several of the major elements of the REAL ID regulations. Finally, this report will address REAL ID in relationship to other federal laws and identification programs. This report will be updated as events warrant.

Apr 1, 2008

The Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative

In Juen 2005, G8 finance ministers proposed the new Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). The MDRI proposes to cancel debts of some of the world's poorest countries owed to the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and African Development Bank. This report discusses MDRI's implementation and raises some issues regarding debt relief's effectiveness as a form of foreign assistance for possible congressional consideration.

Apr 1, 2008

Financial Turmoil: Federal Reserve Policy Responses

Mar 28, 2008

Congressional Official Mail Costs

Mar 26, 2008

The Senate Select Committee on Ethics: A Brief History of Its Evolution and Jurisdiction

Mar 26, 2008

Trends in Discretionary Spending

Mar 26, 2008

Medicaid Provider Taxes

Mar 21, 2008

Disability Retirement for Federal Employees

Mar 18, 2008

Minimum Wage in the Territories and Possessions of the United States: Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act

The minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is generally applicable to any state, territory, or possession of the United States such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Implementation has been gradual, though the ultimate objective has been, consistently, to raise wages to the highest level that “is economically feasible without substantially curtailing employment.” In 1937 and 1938, when Congress crafted the FLSA, there appears to have been little concern about its impact upon the U.S. territories and possessions. In 1940, the act was amended to permit Special Industry Committees (SICs) to visit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to assess their economies and to make recommendations for a sub-minimum wage in certain industries. In 1956, the same procedure was instituted for American Samoa. Guam had always been under the act (though it may not have been implemented). The CNMI, in setting forth the terms of its association with the United States, had retained control over its own insular minimum wage. By the 1980s and early 1990s, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands had emerged from the SICs procedures and come fully under the FLSA. Two territories remained to be accounted for: American Samoa and, in a different context, the CNMI. It was generally assumed that the mainland minimum wage applied to American Samoa though it had not been implemented. During the early 1950s, the Department of the Interior moved to attract a new industry to the island group: namely, tuna canning. The first company, Van Camp Sea Foods, asked Congress to grant an exception from the FLSA and, in 1956, the Puerto Rican model was adopted. The exception remained in place until 2007 when, under the FLSA amendments of that year, the SIC system was abolished and the federal minimum wage, in steps, would be applied. The CNMI was acquired by the United States in the aftermath of World War II. When, in the mid-1970s, it became a Commonwealth in association with the United States, the CNMI retained control over its minimum wage and certain aspects of immigration and trade policy. A decade later, in the 1980s, congressional hearings uncovered what were alleged to have been “sweatshop” practices involving the garment and tourism industries. With the 2007 FLSA amendments, the federal minimum wage will be applied, in steps, to the CNMI. In the 110th Congress, several bills (H.R. 2, H.R. 976, H.R. 1591, H.R. 2206, and H.R. 5154) dealt with the minimum wage for Samoa and/or for the CNMI. This report will be updated as warranted.

Mar 12, 2008

Procedural Analysis of Private Laws Enacted: 1986-2007

Mar 12, 2008

Tunisia: Current Issues

Mar 11, 2008

Role of Home State Senators in the Selection of Lower Federal Court Judges

Mar 6, 2008

New Markets Tax Credit: An Introduction

Mar 3, 2008

International Illegal Trade in Wildlife: Threats and U.S. Policy

Mar 3, 2008

Traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs): A Primer

Mar 3, 2008

Overview of Labor Enforcement Issues in Free Trade Agreements

Feb 29, 2008

The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Overview, Reauthorization, and Appropriations Issues

Feb 29, 2008

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Issues and Arguments

Feb 28, 2008

Air Force Air Refueling: The KC-X Aircraft Acquisition Program

Feb 28, 2008

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: A Legal and Policy Overview

Feb 28, 2008

Unemployment Insurance Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

This report addresses some of the more common questions about unemployment insurance in the 2009 stimulus package. This report does not provide operational details of unemployment insurance programs such as UC, EB, or EUC08, nor does it address the TAA or DUA programs.

Feb 27, 2008

Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

Feb 26, 2008

Congressional Redistricting: A Legal Analysis of the Supreme Court Ruling in League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) v. Perry

Feb 26, 2008

Federal Pollution Control Laws: How Are They Enforced?

Feb 20, 2008

Ghana: Background and U.S. Relations

Feb 14, 2008

The Regulatory Flexibility Act: Implementation Issues and Proposed Reforms

Feb 12, 2008

Bond Insurers: Issues for the 110th Congress

Feb 11, 2008

Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program

Feb 8, 2008