Next Steps in Nuclear Arms Control, and More from CRS

Negotiating a treaty to reduce nuclear weapons is so cumbersome and fraught with political minefields that it can actually retard the process of disarmament. “It usually takes far longer to reduce nuclear forces through a bilateral arms control treaty than it takes to adopt unilateral adjustments to nuclear forces,” according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service.

“If the Obama Administration reduces U.S. nuclear forces in parallel with Russia, but without a formal treaty, the two nations could avoid months or years in negotiation,” the CRS report says. See Next Steps in Nuclear Arms Control with Russia: Issues for Congress, April 10, 2013.

“Recent data… challenge the belief that the [U.S.] manufacturing sector, taken as a whole, will continue to flourish,” says a newly updated CRS report. “One interpretation of these data is that manufacturing is ‘hollowing out’ as companies undertake a larger proportion of their high-value work abroad. These developments raise the question of whether the United States will continue to generate highly skilled, high-wage jobs related to advanced manufacturing.” See “Hollowing Out” in U.S. Manufacturing: Analysis and Issues for Congress, April 15, 2013.

A rich compilation of information about discretionary government spending was presented in Trends in Discretionary Spending, April 15, 2013.

Some other new or newly updated CRS reports that Congress has not made publicly available include the following.

Federal Authority to Regulate the Compounding of Human Drugs, April 12, 2013

Federal Traffic Safety Programs: An Overview, April 1, 2013

The STOCK Act, Insider Trading, and Public Financial Reporting by Federal Officials, April 12, 2013

International Trade and Finance: Key Policy Issues for the 113th Congress, April 15, 2013

Why Certain Trade Agreements Are Approved as Congressional-Executive Agreements Rather Than as Treaties, April 15, 2013

The United Kingdom and U.S.-UK Relations, April 15, 2013

U.S. Aid to Pakistan, and More from CRS

Some lightly updated reports produced lately by the Congressional Research Service include the following.

Direct Overt U.S. Aid Appropriations for and Military Reimbursements to Pakistan, FY2002-FY2014, April 11, 2013

Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress, April 10, 2013

Covert Action: Legislative Background and Possible Policy Questions, April 10, 2013

Navy Ship Names: Background For Congress, April 8, 2013

Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress, April 5, 2013

Foreign Ownership of U.S. Financial Assets, and More from CRS

New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

Foreign Ownership of U.S. Financial Assets: Implications of a Withdrawal, April 8, 2013

Foreign Investment and National Security: Economic Considerations, April 4, 2013

Financial Market Supervision: Canada’s Perspective, April 4, 2013

The European Union: Foreign and Security Policy, April 8, 2013

The Berne Union: An Overview, April 5, 2013

Japan’s Possible Entry Into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Its Implications, April 8, 2013

El Salvador: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations, April 5, 2013

Latin America: Terrorism Issues, April 5, 2013

U.S. Policy Towards Burma: Issues for the 113th Congress, March 12, 2013

Congressional Authority to Regulate Firearms: A Legal Overview, April 5, 2013

Procedural Analysis of Private Laws Enacted: 1986-2013, April 9, 2013

U.S. Natural Gas Exports: New Opportunities, Uncertain Outcomes, April 8, 2013

Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Review of Fluoridation and Regulation Issues, April 5, 2013

State Legalization of Recreational Marijuana: Selected Legal Issues, April 5, 2013

North Korean Nukes, Domestic Drones, and More from CRS

An updated summary of open source reporting on the North Korean nuclear weapons program was produced this week by the Congressional Research Service. See North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues, April 3, 2013

Other new or newly updated CRS reports include the following.

Integration of Drones into Domestic Airspace: Selected Legal Issues, April 4, 2013

Drones in Domestic Surveillance Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and Legislative Responses, April 3, 2013

Super PACs in Federal Elections: Overview and Issues for Congress, April 4, 2013

“Amazon” Laws and Taxation of Internet Sales: Constitutional Analysis, April 3, 2013

FutureGen: A Brief History and Issues for Congress, April 3, 2013

Congressional Redistricting and the Voting Rights Act: A Legal Overview, April 2, 2013

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements, April 2, 2013

The Recess Appointment Power After Noel Canning v. NLRB: Constitutional Implications, March 27, 2013

Overview of Health Care Changes in the FY2014 Budget Proposal Offered by House Budget Committee Chairman Ryan, March 22, 2013

Cuba: U.S. Policy and Issues for the 113th Congress, March 29, 2013

Privacy and Cloud Computing, and More from CRS

New and updated products from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made readily available to the public include the following.

Cloud Computing: Constitutional and Statutory Privacy Protections, March 22, 2013

The National Broadband Plan Goals: Where Do We Stand?, March 19, 2013

U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Trade Facilitation, Enforcement, and Security, March 22, 2013

Itemized Tax Deductions for Individuals: Data Analysis, March 21, 2013

International Monetary Fund: Background and Issues for Congress, March 21, 2013

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities — Background and Issues for Congress, March 21, 2013

Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits, March 21, 2013

A Study of Public Mass Shootings, and More from CRS

Over the past thirty years, dozens of indiscriminate mass shootings in America have resulted in 547 deaths and an additional 476 injured victims, according to a new tabulation by the Congressional Research Service.

The new CRS report examines the phenomenon of mass shootings, like the December 2012 incident in Newtown, CT, and considers potential policy lessons for law enforcement, public health, and education.

The first step is to define the topic. CRS says that public mass shootings occur “in relatively public places, involving four or more deaths–not including the shooter(s)–and gunmen who select victims somewhat indiscriminately.” Furthermore, the violence is not calculated to advance any political agenda or criminal scheme.

Using these criteria, CRS identified 78 public mass shootings that have occurred in the United States since 1983 resulting in 547 non-perpetrator deaths.

To place that figure in context, the CRS report notes the much larger dimensions of gun violence generally. “It is important to caution the reader that, while tragic and shocking, public mass shootings account for few of the murders related to firearms that occur annually in the United States. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, the Bureau), in 2011, firearms were used to murder 8,583 people.”

The CRS report reviews a variety of remedial policy steps that could conceivably be taken to address public mass shootings.

But in a remarkable and telling omission, the report foregoes any discussion of potential restrictions on gun ownership or possession. “This report does not discuss gun control and does not systematically address the broader issue of gun violence,” the report states in italics. See Public Mass Shootings in the United States: Selected Policy Implications, March 18, 2013.

The state of human rights in China and the ability of Congress to influence Chinese human rights policy are the subject of another new CRS report.

The report finds that “Ongoing human rights problems include excessive use of force by public security forces, unlawful detention, torture of detainees, arbitrary use of state security laws against political dissidents and ethnic groups, coercive family planning practices, persecution of unsanctioned religious activity, state control of information, and mistreatment of North Korean refugees.”

On the other hand, the CRS report said, “Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law, which are to go into effect in 2013, reportedly provide for greater protections against torture and coerced confessions, expanded access to legal defense, longer trial deliberations, mandatory appellate hearings, more rigorous judicial review, and greater government oversight of the legal process.” See Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy: Issues for the 113th Congress, March 15, 2013.

An assessment of judicial reforms in Mexico and congressional efforts to support them are discussed in another new CRS report.

“Reforming Mexico’s often corrupt and inefficient criminal justice system is widely regarded as crucial for combating criminality, strengthening the rule of law, and better protecting citizen security and human rights in the country. Congress has provided significant support to help Mexico reform its justice system in order to make current anticrime efforts more effective and to strengthen the system over the long term.” See Supporting Criminal Justice System Reform in Mexico: The U.S. Role, March 18, 2013.

Other brand new CRS reports that Congress has withheld from broad public release include the following.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), March 18, 2013

Financial Condition of Depository Banks, March 18, 2013

Noteworthy updates of previously issued reports include these:

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations and Issues for Congress, March 19, 2013

U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress, March 19, 2013

Publishing Scientific Papers with Potential Security Risks: Issues for Congress, March 18, 2013

Secret Sessions of Congress, and More from CRS

The latest updates from the Congressional Research Service obtained by the Federation of American Scientists include these reports.

Secret Sessions of the House and Senate: Authority, Confidentiality, and Frequency, March 15, 2013

Europe’s Energy Security: Options and Challenges to Natural Gas Supply Diversification, March 15, 2013

The Amending Process in the Senate, March 15, 2013

Commonly Used Motions and Requests in the House of Representatives, March 15, 2013

Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier (CVN) Homeporting at Mayport: Background and Issues for Congress, March 15, 2013

Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations: Background and Issues for Congress, March 15, 2013

Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress, March 15, 2013

Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress, March 15, 2013

Taxes on Gun Sales to Support Wildlife, and More from CRS

In the wake of recent gun-related violence, and in anticipation of potential new restrictions on gun ownership, there has been a sharp increase in sales of guns and ammunition. That is bad news for gun control advocates, but it turns out to be good news for wildlife, at least in the short term.

“Through an excise tax on firearms and ammunition, such sales have a marked beneficial effect on funding for state wildlife programs,” according to a new Congressional Research Service report.

Gun tax-derived funding for wildlife restoration increased by about $150 million this year, CRS found, to around $413 million, though some of that is subject to sequestration. “With reports of surges in gun sales over guns rights and gun-related violence, substantially more funds seem likely to be available in FY2014,” the report said.

Game species — animals that can be shot by hunters — “are the primary or direct beneficiaries of the program,” CRS said drily. However, “non-game species, such as native plants, non-game birds, and other species, may benefit incidentally through conservation of the habitats they share with hunted species.” The twisting tale is told in Guns, Excise Taxes, and Wildlife Restoration, March 12, 2013.

Other new reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has opted to withhold from online release to the public include the following.

A hypothetical (and unlikely) restructuring of national security spending is discussed in A Unified National Security Budget? Issues for Congress, March 14, 2013

The projected impact of sequestration on foreign aid is detailed in The Budget Control Act, Sequestration, and the Foreign Affairs Budget: Background and Possible Impacts, March 13, 2013

Close defense cooperation between the U.S. and New Zealand, which was suspended in the Reagan era due to differences over nuclear policy, has been reestablished and expanded, the CRS says in New Zealand: U.S. Security Cooperation and the U.S. Rebalancing to Asia Strategy, March 8, 2013

Changes to Senate Procedures in the 113th Congress Affecting the Operation of Cloture (S.Res. 15 and S.Res. 16), March 13, 2013

An Overview of the Housing Finance System in the United States, March 13, 2013

Analysis of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013, March 11, 2013