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
This runs counter to public opinion: 4 in 5 of all Americans, across party lines, want to see the government take stronger climate action.
Remaining globally competitive on critical clean technologies requires far more than pointing out that individual electric cars and rooftop solar panels might produce consumer savings.
The American administrative state, since its modern creation out of the New Deal and the post-WWII order, has proven that it can do great things. But it needs some reinvention first.
The Federation of American Scientists supports Congress’ ongoing bipartisan efforts to strengthen U.S. leadership with respect to outer space activities.