Gun Control Legislation, and More from CRS
The broad spectrum of policies relating to gun control is surveyed in a sadly timely, updated report from the Congressional Research Service, which also provides statistics on the prevalence and use of firearms in the United States. See Gun Control Legislation, November 14, 2012.
Other new and updated CRS reports that Congress has not made available to the public include the following.
Judicial Activity Concerning Enemy Combatant Detainees: Major Court Rulings, December 11, 2012
Women in Combat: Issues for Congress, December 13, 2012
Intelligence Identities Protection Act, December 13, 2012
Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress, December 10, 2012
Outside Employment, “Moonlighting,” by Federal Executive Branch Employees, December 12, 2012
Follow-On Biologics: The Law and Intellectual Property Issues, December 6, 2012
Nuclear Energy: Overview of Congressional Issues, December 11, 2012
Fatherhood Initiatives: Connecting Fathers to Their Children, December 7, 2012
Emergency Assistance for Agricultural Land Rehabilitation, December 11, 2012
Bee Health: The Role of Pesticides, December 11, 2012
The 2010 Census, and More from CRS
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made publicly available include the following.
The 2010 Census: Count Question Resolution Program, December 7, 2012
An Analysis of STEM Education Funding at the NSF: Trends and Policy Discussion, December 12, 2012
Value-Added Modeling for Teacher Effectiveness, December 11, 2012
Teacher Quality Issues in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, December 10, 2012
U.S. Farm Income, December 10, 2012
The National Flood Insurance Program: Status and Remaining Issues for Congress, December 10, 2012
Department of Defense Energy Initiatives: Background and Issues for Congress, Decembr 10, 2012
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress, December 10, 2012
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress, December 10, 2012
Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress, December 10, 2012
Navy Ohio Replacement (SSBN[X]) Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress, December 10, 2012
Presidential Reorganization Authority, and More from CRS
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made available to the public include the following.
Presidential Reorganization Authority: History, Recent Initiatives, and Options for Congress, December 11, 2012
Presidential Appointee Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation and Committees Handling Nominations, November 15, 2012
Legal Protections for Subcontractors on Federal Prime Contracts, December 10, 2012
Loss of Federal Pensions for Members of Congress Convicted of Certain Offenses, December 10, 2012
The National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012: Detainee Matters, December 11, 2012
“Gang of Four” Congressional Intelligence Notifications, November 19, 2012
Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program, and More from CRS
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made publicly available include the following.
Iran’s Ballistic Missile and Space Launch Programs, December 6, 2012
Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress, December 5, 2012
Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations, December 6, 2012
In Brief: Next Steps in the War in Afghanistan? Issues for Congress, December 6, 2012
Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians, December 6, 2012
Detention of U.S. Persons as Enemy Belligerents, December 4, 2012
Right to Work Laws: Legislative Background and Empirical Research, December 6, 2012
China’s Holdings of U.S. Securities, and More from CRS
Congressional concerns arising from China’s holdings of U.S. government debt, including the potential for economic destabilization or diplomatic coercion, are examined in a report from the Congressional Research Service that was updated today. See China’s Holdings of U.S. Securities: Implications for the U.S. Economy, December 6, 2012.
Relatedly (though not newly updated), see Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt, July 3, 2012.
And recently updated is The Presidential Records Act: Background and Recent Issues for Congress, November 15, 2012.
How a Bill Becomes a Law, and More from CRS
On January 6, 2013 Congress will convene to count electoral votes and to formally certify the results of the last presidential election. The process was detailed by the Congressional Research Service in Counting Electoral Votes: An Overview of Procedures at the Joint Session, Including Objections by Members of Congress, November 30, 2012.
The declining economic condition of many state governments is examined by CRS in State Government Fiscal Stress and Federal Assistance, December 3, 2012.
And for members of Congress who never had civics class, CRS explains how a bill becomes a law in Introduction to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress, November 30, 2012. See also the elementary Introduction to the Federal Budget Process, December 3, 2012.
Other new and updated CRS reports that Congress has not made publicly available include the following.
Congressional Salaries and Allowances, December 4, 2012
Alternative Minimum Taxpayers by State: 2009, 2010, and Projections for 2012, December 4, 2012
Offsets, Supplemental Appropriations, and the Disaster Relief Fund: FY1990-FY2012, December 4, 2012
The Bayh-Dole Act: Selected Issues in Patent Policy and the Commercialization of Technology, December 3, 2012
Technology Transfer: Use of Federally Funded Research and Development, December 3, 2012
Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy, December 3, 2012
Cooperative R&D: Federal Efforts to Promote Industrial Competitiveness, December 3, 2012
IMF Reforms: Issues for Congress, December 4, 2012
China’s Economic Conditions, December 4, 2012
Federal Emergency Management: A Brief Introduction, November 30, 2012
Income Inequality on the Rise, and More from CRS
The extraordinary rise in income inequality among Americans is painstakingly documented in a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service.
In the past few decades, the rich have gotten a lot richer as “those at the very top have reaped disproportionately larger gains from economic growth.”
“Based on the limited data that are comparable among nations, the U.S. income distribution appears to be among the most unequal of all major industrialized countries and the United States appears to be among the nations experiencing the greatest increases in measures of income dispersion,” the CRS report said.
Popular beliefs concerning the possibility of upward mobility in income are not well-founded, CRS said.
“Empirical analyses estimate that the United States is a comparatively immobile society, that is, where one starts in the income distribution influences where one ends up to a greater degree than in several advanced economies. Children raised in families at the bottom of the U.S. income distribution are estimated to be especially less likely to ascend the income ladder as adults,” the report said. See The U.S. Income Distribution and Mobility: Trends and International Comparisons, November 29, 2012.
Congressional secrecy policy prohibits CRS from releasing its reports to the public. Some other new and updated CRS reports that Congress has not made publicly available include the following.
Addressing the Long-Run Budget Deficit: A Comparison of Approaches, November 30, 2012
Economic Recovery: Sustaining U.S. Economic Growth in a Post-Crisis Economy, November 29, 2012
Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery, November 29, 2012
Filibusters and Cloture in the Senate, November 29, 2012
Congressional Nominations to U.S. Service Academies: An Overview and Resources for Outreach and Management, November 30, 2012
Health Benefits for Members of Congress, November 30, 2012
Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress, November 30, 2012
Social Security Reform: Current Issues and Legislation, November 28, 2012
Casework in a Congressional Office: Background, Rules, Laws, and Resources, November 30, 2012
Army Corps Supplemental Appropriations: Recent History, Trends, and Policy Issues, November 29, 2012
DOD Purchase of Renewable Energy Credits Under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, November 27, 2012
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meetings in Vladivostok, Russia: Postscript, November 19, 2012
Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance, November 30, 2012
Colombia: Background, U.S. Relations, and Congressional Interest, November 28, 2012
Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990, November 29, 2012
Securing U.S. Diplomatic Facilities, and More from CRS
In almost every year since 2007, Congress appropriated less money for diplomatic security than had been requested. In FY2012, the State Department sought $2.9 billion for security, and Congress enacted $2.6 billion.
The diplomatic security function, including its funding profile, was discussed in the light of recent attacks of U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya and elsewhere in a new report from the Congressional Research Service. See Securing U.S. Diplomatic Facilities and Personnel Abroad: Background and Policy Issues, November 26, 2012.
Some other new and updated CRS reports that have not been made publicly available include the following.
Panama: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations, November 27, 2012
The Judgment Fund: History, Administration, and Common Usage, November 26, 2012
Financing the U.S. Trade Deficit, November 16, 2012
Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations, November 27, 2012
Some Basic Budget Tutorials from CRS
In a series of newly updated reports presumably intended for new Members of Congress who are unfamiliar with basic features of the federal budget, the Congressional Research Service presented the very rudiments of the budget process. See:
Basic Federal Budgeting Terminology, November 26, 2012
Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process, November 26, 2012
Baselines and Scorekeeping in the Federal Budget Process, November 26, 2012
Budget Reconciliation Legislation: Development and Consideration, November 26, 2012
Entitlements and Appropriated Entitlements in the Federal Budget Process, November 26, 2012
Legislative Procedures for Adjusting the Public Debt Limit: A Brief Overview, November 26, 2012
Does Foreign Aid Work?, and More from CRS
New and newly updated reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made publicly available include the following.
Does Foreign Aid Work? Efforts to Evaluate U.S. Foreign Assistance, November 19, 2012
Congressional Redistricting: An Overview, November 21, 2012
Update on Controlling Greenhouse Gases from International Aviation, November 19, 2012
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, November 16, 2012
Gangs in Central America, November 26, 2012
The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer, November 26, 2012
The President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for Congress, November 26, 2012
India-U.S. Security Relations, and More from CRS
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following.
India-U.S. Security Relations: Current Engagement, November 13, 2012
A Guide to China’s Upcoming Leadership Transitions, October 16, 2012
U.S. Trade and Investment Relations with sub-Saharan Africa and the African Growth and Opportunity Act, November 14, 2012
Roles and Duties of a Member of Congress, November 9, 2012
The Congressional Research Service made a humorous appearance in the Doonesbury comic strip on November 24, in connection with the report on tax cuts that was withdrawn in response to criticism from some Republican Senators.
In fact, as often noted, members of Congress of both parties consistently withhold public access to most CRS reports.
Eavesdropping Statutes, and More from CRS
New or newly updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following.
Privacy: An Abbreviated Outline of Federal Statutes Governing Wiretapping and Electronic Eavesdropping, October 9, 2012
Privacy: An Overview of Federal Statutes Governing Wiretapping and Electronic Eavesdropping, October 9, 2012
Privacy: An Overview of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, October 9, 2012
Privacy: An Abridged Overview of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, October 9, 2012
Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Discussion of Proposed Revisions, November 9, 2012
Medical Marijuana: The Supremacy Clause, Federalism, and the Interplay Between State and Federal Laws, November 9, 2012
The Budget Control Act of 2011: Budgetary Effects of Proposals to Replace the FY2013 Sequester, November 9, 2012
El Salvador: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations, November 9, 2012
The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues, November 9, 2012
Trade Preferences: Economic Issues and Policy Options, November 14, 2012
The Distribution of Household Income and the Middle Class, November 13, 2012