Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from December 2005

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from December 2005

East Asian Summit: issues for Congress.(Report)
December 1, 2005... Summary Fundamental shifts underway in Asia could constrain the U.S. role in the multilateral affairs of Asia. The centrality of the United States is now being challenged by renewed regionalism in Asia and by China's rising influence....

USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (H.R. 3199): a brief look.
December 1, 2005... Summary On December 9, 2005, House and Senate conferees reported out The USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3199). Among its other provisions, it makes permanent 14 of the 16 USA PATRIOT Act sections scheduled to...

BSE ("mad cow disease"): a brief overview.(bovine spongiform encephalopathy)(Report)
December 1, 2005... Summary The appearance of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or "mad cow disease") in North America has raised public health concerns and disrupted trade for cattle and beef producers. A major issue for Congress has been how to...

Judge Samuel Alito's opinions in freedom of speech cases.(Report)
December 1, 2005... December 9, 2005 Summary Judge Samuel Alito, who has been nominated by President Bush to take retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's seat as associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, has been a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals...

Immigration related border security legislation in the 109th Congress.
December 1, 2005... December 9, 2005 Summary Border security is considered a central aspect of the United States' overall homeland security. Securing the border involves controlling the official ports of entry (POE) through which legitimate travelers...

U.S.-China nuclear cooperation agreement.(Report)
December 1, 2005... December 13, 2005 Summary This CRS Report, updated as warranted, discusses the agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation with the People's Republic of China (PRC) by focusing on congressional roles in crafting and carrying out the...

Liberia's post-war recovery: key issues and developments.(Report)
December 1, 2005... Summary This long report describes recent developments in Liberia, a small, poor West African country that is undergoing a post-conflict transition and peace-building process after its second civil war in a decade. The latter war began...

Protecting New Orleans: from hurricane barriers to floodwalls.
December 1, 2005... Summary Breaches of the floodwalls protecting New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina caused significant flooding in many areas of downtown. Although most of the levee breaches in coastal Louisiana were the result of the storm's surge...

U.S. arms sales: agreements with and deliveries to major clients, 1997-2004.(Report)
December 1, 2005... Summary This report provides background data on United States arms sales agreements with and deliveries to its major purchasers during calendar years 1997-2004. In a series of data tables, it lists the total dollar values of U.S. arms...

USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (H.R. 3199): a side-by-side comparison of existing law, H.R. 3199 (conference), and H.R. 3199 (Senate passed).(Report)
December 1, 2005... Summary By virtue of Section 224 of the USA PATRIOT Act, P.L. 107-56 (2001), several of the act's amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 50 U.S.C. 1801-1862, and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C....

The Google Book Search Project: is online indexing a fair use under copyright law?
December 1, 2005... Summary Google, Inc. is digitally scanning the collections of several prominent libraries in order to create a vast searchable database of literary works. Copyright holders who have not authorized and object to the digitization have...

The Direct Recording Electronic voting machine (DRE) controversy: FAQs and misperceptions.(Report)
December 1, 2005... December 14, 2005 Summary Most voting systems used in U.S. elections rely on computers in some way. The most computerized is the direct recording electronic voting machine, or DRE. In this system, votes are recorded directly onto...