Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from February 2008

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from February 2008

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: issues and arguments.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... February 28, 2008 Summary The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty would ban all nuclear explosions. It was opened for signature in 1996. As of February 2008, 178 nations had signed it and 144 had ratified. To enter into force, 44...

P.L. 110-55, the Protect America Act of 2007: modifications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.(CRS Report for Congress)
February 1, 2008... Updated February 14, 2008 Summary On August 5, 2007, P.L. 110-55, the Protect America Act of 2007, was signed into law by President Bush, after having been passed by the Senate on August 3 and the House of Representatives on August 4....

Operation Iraqi Freedom: strategies, approaches, results, and issues for congress.(CRS Report for Congress)(United States Congress)
February 1, 2008... February 22, 2008 Operation Iraqi Freedom: Strategies, Approaches, Results, and Issues for Congress Summary Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) was launched on March 20, 2003. The immediate goal, as stated by the Bush Administration,...

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: comparison of House-passed H.R. 3773, S. 52248 as reported by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and S. 2248 as reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.(CRS Report for Congress)(United States Congress)
February 1, 2008... Updated February 8, 2008 Summary On November 15, 2007, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3773, the RESTORE Act of 2007. On October 26, 2007, Senator Rockefeller reported S. 2248, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978...

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: a brief overview of selected issues.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Updated February 8, 2008 Summary The current legislative and oversight activity with respect to electronic surveillance under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) has drawn national attention to several overarching issues. This...

FY2009 defense budget: issues for Congress.(Table)
February 1, 2008... Stephen Daggett Ronald O'Rourke Lawrence Kapp Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Congressional Research Service February 11, 2008 Outline * Overview, Trends, Issues: Steve Daggett * Weapons Acquisition: Ronald O'Rourke...

Congressional oversight and related issues concerning the prospective security agreement between the United States and Iraq.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)(Table)
February 1, 2008... Summary On November 26, 2007, U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamel Al-Maliki signed a Declaration of Principles for a Long- Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship Between the Republic of Iraq and the...

Nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and missiles: status and trends.(CRS Report for Congress)(Table)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Updated February 20, 2008 Summary The United States has long recognized the dangers inherent in the spread of nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons, and missiles. This report, which analyzes NBC weapons programs potential...

Russia's 2008 presidential succession.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... February 26, 2008 Summary An election to choose Russia's next president is set for March 2, 2008. The Russian Constitution limits the president to no more than two consecutive four- year terms. President Putin's second term ends in...

Poland's new government: background and issues for the United States.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Summary After a governmental deadlock caused by intra-coalition squabbling, Poland held snap parliamentary elections on October 21, 2007; the vote was seen by many as a referendum on the governing style and policies of the then-ruling Law...

FDA Fast Track and Priority Review programs.(CRS Report for Congress)(Food and Drug Administration )(Table)
February 1, 2008... Summary By statutory requirements and by regulation, guidance, and practice, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) works with several overlapping yet distinct programs to get to market quickly new drug and biological products that address...

General overview of U.S. copyright law.(CRS Report for Congress)(Law overview)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Summary This report provides a general overview of copyright law and briefly summarizes the major provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act. Constitutional Basis The source of federal copyright law originates with the Copyright and...

Election reform and local election officials: results of two national surveys.(CRS Report for Congress)
February 1, 2008... Updated February 7, 2008 Summary Local election officials (LEOs) are critical to the administration of federal elections and the implementation of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA, P.L. 107-252). Two surveys of LEOs were...

Automated political telephone calls ("robo calls") in federal campaigns: overview and policy options.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)(Table)
February 1, 2008... February 7, 2008 Summary Prerecorded telephone messages that provide information about political candidates or urge voters to go to the polls are a common campaign tactic. Anecdotal accounts suggest that the public often objects to...

Federal pollution control laws: how are they enforced?(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... February 20, 2008 Summary As a result of enforcement actions and settlements for noncompliance with federal pollution control requirements, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that, for FY2007, regulated entities...

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers: current issues and legislation.(CRS Report for Congress)
February 1, 2008... February 20, 2008 Summary Trade Adjustment Assistance consists of several programs: Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAA), Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA), Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms, Trade Adjustment...

European Union--U.S. trade and investment relations: key issues.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... February 14, 2008 Summary The United States and EU share a huge, dynamic, and mutually beneficial economic relationship. Not only are trade and investment ties between the two partners huge in absolute terms, but the EU share of U.S....

Kenya: the December 2007 elections and the challenges ahead.(CRS Report for Congress)
February 1, 2008... Summary Kenya, a nation of about 36.9 million people, has been an important ally of the United States for decades. Kenya moved from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy in 1992. Kenyans voted in record numbers in the country's...

The Bali agreements and forests.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Summary Climate change and its drivers are receiving increasing global attention. Negotiations in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007 led to an action plan and decision on slowing the rate of...

The Egypt-Gaza border and its effect on Israeli-Egyptian relations.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... February 1, 2008 Summary Since Israel unilaterally dismantled its settlements and withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip in August 2005, it has repeatedly expressed concern over the security of the Egypt-Gaza border. Israel claims...

FY2009 appropriations for state and local homeland security.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Summary The Administration proposes $2.2 billion for FY2009 Department of Homeland Security assistance programs for states and localities. Additionally, the Administration proposes to reduce funding on most of the programs, except the...

Ghana: background and U.S. relations.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Summary This short report, which will be updated as events warrant, provides background information on current developments in Ghana and U.S. bilateral relations with Ghana. Introduction. In mid-February 2008, President and Mrs. Bush...

How large is China's economy? Does it matter?(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Summary China's rapid economic growth since 1979 has transformed it into a major economic power. Over the past few years, many analysts have contended that China could soon overtake the United States to become the world's largest economy,...

The cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other Global War on Terror operations since 9/11.(CRS Report for Congress)
February 1, 2008... Updated February 8, 2008 Summary With enactment of the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2764/P.L. 110-161 on December 26, 2007, Congress has approved a total of about $700 billion for military operations, base security,...

Iraq: government formation and benchmarks.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Summary The current government is the product of a U.S.-supported election process designed to produce a democracy, although many now believe it produced a sectarian government incapable of reconciling Iraq's communities. This sentiment...

Iraq: post-Saddam governance and security.(CRS Report for Congress)
February 1, 2008... Updated February 21, 2008 Summary Operation Iraqi Freedom overthrew Saddam Hussein's regime, but during 2004-2007 much of Iraq was highly violent because of Sunni Arab resentment and a related insurgency, resulting Sunni-Shiite...

Trade agreements: impact on the U.S. economy.(CRS Report for Congress)
February 1, 2008... Updated February 6, 2008 Summary The United States is in the process of negotiating a number of trade agreements. In addition, the 110th Congress may also address the issue of trade promotion authority (TPA), which expired on July 1,...

The Kurds in post-Saddam Iraq.(CRS Report for Congress)(Report)
February 1, 2008... Summary The Kurdish-inhabited region of northern Iraq is relatively peaceful and prospering economically, but the Iraqi Kurds' political autonomy and political strength in post-Saddam Iraq is causing backlash in Arab Iraq, Turkey, and...