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Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program [September 29, 2014]
"In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act, known as the SAFER Act, was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for recruitment and retention of volunteers. SAFER is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). With the economic turndown adversely affecting budgets of local governments, concerns arose that modifications to the SAFER statute may be necessary to enable fire departments to more effectively and affordably participate in the program. Since FY2009, annual appropriations bills have contained provisions that waive certain provisions of the SAFER statute. The waivers served to reduce the financial obligation on SAFER grant recipients, and allowed SAFER grants to be used to rehire laid-off firefighters and to fill positions lost through attrition. The 112th Congress enacted the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-239), which reauthorized SAFER through FY2017; altered the grant distribution formula among career, volunteer, combination, and paid-on-call fire departments; raised available funding for higher population areas; and addressed waiver issues previously addressed in annual appropriations legislation."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.
2014-09-29
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Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program [May 29, 2014]
"In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act, known as the SAFER Act, was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. [Public Law] 108-136). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for recruitment and retention of volunteers. SAFER is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). With the economic turndown adversely affecting budgets of local governments, concerns arose that modifications to the SAFER statute may be necessary to enable fire departments to more effectively and affordably participate in the program. Since FY2009, annual appropriations bills have contained provisions that waive certain provisions of the SAFER statute. The waivers served to reduce the financial obligation on SAFER grant recipients, and allowed SAFER grants to be used to rehire laid-off firefighters and to fill positions lost through attrition."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.
2014-05-29
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Syria's Chemical Weapons: Progress and Continuing Challenges [October 1, 2014]
"On August 18, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announced the complete destruction of Syria's declared chemical weapons (CW). Despite this significant achievement, serious challenges relating to Syrian CW remain. In early September, the Syrian regime announced previously undeclared chemical weapons research facilities, raising questions about what else it might be concealing. Repeated reports have alleged chlorine gas attacks by the Assad regime. Moreover, press reports speculate that insecure chemical weapons stocks in Syria and Iraq may have gotten into the hands of the Islamic State (ISIL). Most of these questions cannot yet be answered definitively, but the fate of Syria's CW capabilities warrants continued attention. Syria's CW program began in the 1970s with help from the Soviet Union, primarily as a hedge against Israel. After joining the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Syria declared 1,300 metric tons of chemical warfare agents and precursor chemicals, including several hundred metric tons of the nerve agents sarin and VX [O-ethyl S-(2-diisopropylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothiolate or Methylphosphonothioic acid], as well as mustard agent in ready-to-use form. The nerve agents were stored as two separate components that are combined before use, a form that facilitated removal and destruction efforts."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Moodie, Michael, 1948-; Nikitin, Mary Beth Dunham
2014-10-01
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One in Six Adults in California Immigrant Families Reported Avoiding Public Benefits in 2019
From the Document: "California has moved proactively to support immigrant families in response to restrictive federal immigration and safety net policies, but policies like the new 'public charge' rule still pose risks, especially in the context of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. The new rule significantly expands the criteria for determining whether applicants for permanent residency, or green cards, may be denied based on past or potential use of government benefit programs. Even before the rule took effect in February 2020, widespread chilling effects were evident. Nationwide, many immigrant families-- including those who would not be subject to the rule--avoided enrolling in public benefit programs for fear of immigration consequences (Bernstein et al. 2019; Bernstein, McTarnaghan, and Gonzalez 2019; Straut-Eppsteiner 2020; Tolbert, Artiga, and Pham 2019). This phenomenon has become even more alarming during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which many immigrant families are vulnerable to acute medical and economic hardship. Families may avoid medical care and public supports for fear of being deemed a public charge, despite formal clarification by the federal government that COVID-19 testing and treatment will not be considered."
Urban Institute
Bernstein, Hamutal; Gonzalez, Dulce; McTarnaghan, Sara . . .
2020-05
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State Minimum Wages: An Overview [Updated January 25, 2019]
"The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), enacted in 1938, is the federal legislation that establishes the general minimum wage that must be paid to all covered workers. The FLSA mandates broad minimum wage coverage. It also specifies certain categories of workers who are not covered by general FLSA wage standards, such as workers with disabilities or certain youth workers. [...] This report begins with a brief discussion of FLSA minimum wage coverage. It then provides a summary of state minimum wage laws, followed by an examination of rates and mechanisms of adjustments in states with minimum wage levels above the FLSA rate (Table 1 provides summary data). Next, the report discusses the interaction of federal and state minimum wages over time, and finally, the Appendix provides detailed information on the major components of minimum wage policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bradley, David H.
2019-01-25
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Confronting COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Nonelderly Adults: Findings from the December 2020 Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey
From the Document: "As of mid-February 2021, more than 40 million US adults, over 12 percent of the total US population, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccine, and vaccine sites are administering more than 1.5 million doses (both first and second) daily. Health officials estimate the US will achieve herd immunity when 70 to 90 percent of the population has been vaccinated or previously infected, after which virus transmission will slow significantly. Early data show disparities in vaccination rates, with people of color receiving disproportionately fewer vaccine doses and facing greater barriers navigating the complicated systems for scheduling vaccine appointments and traveling to vaccination sites (Ndugga et al. 2021). Eliminating disparities and reaching herd immunity will require addressing challenges in both vaccine supply (i.e., the limited number of doses and inequitable access to them) and demand (i.e., vaccine hesitancy)."
Urban Institute; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Karpman, Michael; Kenney, Genevieve M.; Zuckerman, Stephen . . .
2021-02
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Delayed and Forgone Health Care for Nonelderly Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the September 11-28 Coronavirus Tracking Survey
From the Document: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has disrupted health care in an unprecedented way, leading some patients to postpone or forgo care (Czeisler et al. 2020). Visits to primary care physicians, emergency rooms, and other health care providers fell as providers scaled back their operations and patients curbed their health care use because of the pandemic (Garcia et al. 2020; Hartnett et al. 2020; Jiang et al. 2020; Mast and Munoz del Rio 2020; Mehrotra et al. 2020; Santoli et al. 2020). Most health care providers have new safety protocols in place and have seen visits rebound since the start of the pandemic (Mehrotra et al. 2020). However, significant numbers of patients continue avoiding care because they fear exposure to the novel coronavirus (Morning Consult and American College of Emergency Physicians 2020), and reduced patient volumes are leading some physicians to close their practices for financial reasons."
Urban Institute; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Gonzalez, Dulce; Karpman, Michael; Kenney, Genevieve M. . . .
2021-02
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Immigrant Families Continued Avoiding the Safety Net During the COVID-19 Crisis
From the Document: "In its first days in office, the Biden administration has already moved to reverse many of the Trump administration's immigration policies that created a climate of fear and insecurity for many immigrant families. The prior administration's changes to the 'public charge' rule intensified immigrant families' reluctance to participate in public benefit programs and supports that address basic health, nutrition, and housing needs. According to new data from the Urban Institute's December 2020 Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS), immigrant families continued avoiding noncash public programs and other supports in 2020 because of concerns about immigration status."
Urban Institute
Bernstein, Hamutal; Karpman, Michael; Gonzalez, Dulce . . .
2021-02
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Delayed and Forgone Health Care for Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Document: "Since the pandemic began, health care providers and consumers have sought to minimize COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] transmission by limiting in-person visits. Consequently, many children are missing out on or having their health care delayed. Drawing on the Urban Institute's September 2020 Coronavirus Tracking Survey, we examine delayed and forgone health care for children during the pandemic because of parents' concerns about exposure to the coronavirus or limits on providers' services due to the coronavirus outbreak. We also show parent-reported impacts of delayed or forgone care for children on children's health, schooling, and other daily activities."
Urban Institute; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Gonzalez, Dulce; Karpman, Michael; Kenney, Genevieve M. . . .
2021-02
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COVIDcast: Olivia Troye Inside the White House Coronavirus Task Force [audio]
From the Webpage Description: "In the latest episode of COVIDcast, Lowy Institute Research Fellow Lydia Khalil sat down with Olivia Troye, a former White House Coronavirus Task Force member and Homeland Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence to discuss the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. Troye is the most recent Trump administration official to resign her position and come out publicly criticising the President's handling of the pandemic."
Lowy Institute for International Policy
Khalil, Lydia; Troye, Olivia
2020-10-20
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Amid Confusion Over the Public Charge Rule, Immigrant Families Continued Avoiding Public Benefits in 2019
From the Document: "The current administration's new 'public charge' rule took effect in February 2020, significantly expanding the criteria for determining whether applicants for permanent residency, or green cards, may be denied based on past or potential use of government benefit programs. Even before the rule took effect, evidence shows the proposed rule produced widespread chilling effects nationally, meaning eligible immigrant families-- including those who would not be subject to the rule--avoided enrolling in public benefit programs for fear of immigration consequences (Bernstein et al. 2019; Bernstein, McTarnaghan, and Gonzalez 2019; Straut-Eppsteiner 2020; Tolbert, Artiga, and Pham 2019). This phenomenon has become even more alarming during the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, in which many immigrant families are vulnerable to acute medical and economic hardship. Families may avoid medical care and public supports for fear of being deemed a public charge, despite formal clarification by the federal government that COVID-19 testing and treatment will not be considered."
Urban Institute
Bernstein, Hamutal; Gonzalez, Dulce; Karpman, Michael . . .
2020-05
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COVID-19 Pandemic is Straining Families' Abilities to Afford Basic Needs
From the Document: "As it confronts the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, the US faces what could be its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The social distancing measures needed to slow transmission of the novel coronavirus have already taken a staggering economic toll, with over 26 million unemployment insurance claims filed between March 15 and April 18. To combat the crisis, federal policymakers have passed four major relief bills to date, including the $2 trillion CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act, which includes enhanced benefits and expanded eligibility for unemployment insurance, forgivable small-business loans, economic relief payments sent directly to most US households, aid to state and local governments, and increased funding for housing assistance and other safety net programs. A successful government response to the economic consequences of the pandemic is critical for sustaining families' health and well-being and allowing families to remain housed as major sectors of the economy remain closed."
Urban Institute
Karpman, Michael; Zuckerman, Stephen; Gonzalez, Dulce . . .
2020-04
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [Updated April 12, 2019]
From the Document: "This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data. Appendix B presents a series of tables with state-level data. This report does not provide information on TANF program rules (for a discussion of TANF rules, see CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report RL32748, The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements, by Gene Falk)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2019-04-12
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Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program [Updated January 28, 2019]
"In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act, known as the SAFER Act, was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for recruitment and retention of volunteers. SAFER is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.
2019-01-28
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Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program [Updated April 25, 2019]
From the Summary: "In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act, known as the SAFER Act, was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for recruitment and retention of volunteers. SAFER is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.; Gallagher, Jill C.
2019-04-25
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Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program [August 2, 2018]
"In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act, known as the SAFER Act, was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for recruitment and retention of volunteers. SAFER is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). [...] A continuing issue for the 115th Congress is how equitably and effectively grants are being distributed and used to protect the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel against fire and fire-related hazards. Another continuing issue is budget appropriations for SAFER and AFG [Assistance to Firefighters Grants]. As is the case with many federal programs, concerns over the federal budget deficit could impact budget levels for SAFER and AFG."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.
2018-08-02
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State Innovation Waivers: Frequently Asked Questions [January 9, 2019]
"This report answers frequently asked questions about how states can use and apply for state innovation waivers. It also addresses recent changes to the Section 1332 waiver process, as made by the 2018 CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] guidance."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Rosso, Ryan J.
2019-01-09
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Adults in Families Losing Jobs During the Pandemic Also Lost Employer-sponsored Health Insurance
From the Document: "The recession caused by the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic is expected to lead to losses of employer-sponsored health insurance coverage (ESI) and a rise in uninsurance (Banthin et al. 2020; Garfield et al. 2020; Garrett and Gangopadhyaya 2020). These coverage losses would test the health care safety net established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Further, the strength of this safety net varies across states: adults who lose ESI in the 15 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA face greater challenges finding replacement coverage (Garfield et al. 2020)."
Urban Institute
Karpman, Michael; Zuckerman, Stephen; Peterson, Graeme
2020-07
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Hispanic Adults in Families with Noncitizens Disproportionately Feel the Economic Fallout from COVID-19
From the Document: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic threatens to upend the well-being of many Hispanic adults and their families. Already, the pandemic is affecting Hispanic adults' family financial security to a greater extent than other racial/ethnic groups. As of late March/early April 2020, nearly 6 in 10 nonelderly Hispanic adults were in families where someone lost a job, work hours, or work-related income because of the coronavirus outbreak, and close to 5 in 10 experienced some material hardship in the past 30 days (Karpman et al. 2020). Underlying these disparities for Hispanic adults is their disproportionate representation in industries most likely affected by the pandemic and their lower likelihood of having jobs that can be performed from home (Berube and Bateman 2020)."
Urban Institute
Gonzalez, Dulce; Karpman, Michael; Kenney, Genevieve M. . . .
2020-05
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Systemically Important or 'Too Big to Fail' Financial Institutions [January 13, 2012]
"Although 'too big to fail' (TBTF) has been a perennial policy issue, it was brought to the forefront by the near-collapse of several large financial firms in 2008. Financial firms are said to be TBTF when policymakers judge that their failure would cause unacceptable disruptions to the overall financial system. Financial firms can be TBTF because of their size or interconnectedness. In addition to fairness issues raised by preventing a TBTF firm from failing, economic theory suggests that TBTF causes a moral hazard problem. Moral hazard refers to the fact that if TBTF firms know that failure will be prevented, they have an incentive to take greater risks than they otherwise would because they are shielded from the negative consequences of those risks. Specific assistance to TBTF firms, in contrast to broadly based programs, has proven to be the most costly intervention that the government undertook in the crisis. There are a number of policy approaches--some complementary, some conflicting--to coping with the TBTF problem. [...] A comprehensive policy is likely to incorporate more than one approach since some approaches are aimed at preventing TBTF, and some at containing fallout when a TBTF firm has failed. Parts of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act, P.L. 111-203) address all of these policy approaches. [...] The major changes in the Dodd-Frank Act remain in the implementation phase. The U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council has not yet identified any firm as 'systemically significant,' and therefore subject to heightened prudential regulation. The Financial Stability Board, an international forum, identified 29 financial firms as 'systemically important financial institutions' in November 2011. Eight of the 29 firms are headquartered in the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Labonte, Marc
2012-01-13
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Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Authorization, Operation, and Drawdown Policy [April 25, 2012]
"Congress authorized the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) of 1975 to help prevent a repetition of the economic disruption caused by the 1973-1974 Arab oil embargo. EPCA specifically authorizes the President to draw down the SPR upon a finding that there is a 'severe energy supply interruption.' The meaning of a 'severe energy supply interruption' has been controversial. The authors of EPCA intended the SPR only to ameliorate discernible physical shortages of crude oil. Historically, increasing crude oil prices typically signal market concerns for supply availability. However, Congress deliberately kept price trigger considerations out of the President's SPR drawdown authority because of the question about what price level should trigger a drawdown, and the concern that a price threshold could influence market behavior and industry inventory practices. As a member of the International Energy Agency-a coalition of 28 countries-the United States agrees to support energy supply security through energy policy cooperation, commit to maintaining emergency reserves equal to 90 days of net petroleum oil imports, develop programs for demand restraint in the event of emergencies, and participate in allocation of oil deliveries among the signatory nations to balance a shortage. […] The 30.64 million barrel SPR sale in 2011 reduced the SPR's inventory from 726.6 million barrels to 695.9 million barrels. The SPR currently holds the equivalent of 80 days of import protection (based on 2012 data of 8.72 million barrels per day of net petroleum imports)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Andrews, Anthony; Pirog, Robert L.
2012-04-25
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Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program [May 17, 2012]
"In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act, known as the SAFER Act, was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for recruitment and retention of volunteers. [...] Concern over local fire departments' budgetary problems has framed debate over the SAFER reauthorization, which is included in S. 550/H.R. 2269, the Fire Grants Authorization Act of 2011. Previously in the 111th Congress, reauthorization legislation for SAFER was passed by the House but not passed by the Senate. As part of the reauthorization debate, Congress may consider whether some SAFER rules and restrictions governing the hiring grants should be eliminated or altered in order to make it economically feasible for more fire departments to participate in the program."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.
2012-05-17
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Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues [April 2, 2012]
"When civil unrest, violence, or natural disasters erupt in spots around the world, concerns arise over the safety of foreign nationals from these troubled places who are in the United States. Provisions exist in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to offer temporary protected status (TPS) or relief from removal under specified circumstances. A foreign national who is granted TPS receives a registration document and an employment authorization for the duration of TPS. The United States currently provides TPS or deferred enforced departure (DED) to over 300,000 foreign nationals from a total of eight countries: El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, and most recently Southern Sudan and Syria. Liberians had relief from removal for the longest period, first receiving TPS in March 1991 following the outbreak of civil war and ultimately ending DED on September 30, 2011. On March 29, 2012, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano designated the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) for TPS through September 30, 2013, citing temporary extraordinary conditions that would make it unsafe for Syrian nationals already in the United States to return to the country. Over the past year, the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al Asad has escalated to the point that the nation verges on a civil war. The government crackdown in Syria has reportedly killed over 8,000 people since March 2011. Under the INA, the executive branch grants TPS or relief from removal. Congress, however, has also provided TPS legislatively. Legislation pertaining to TPS has been introduced in the 112th Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Wasem, Ruth Ellen; Ester, Karma
2012-04-02
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Sudan: The Crisis in Darfur and Status of the North-South Peace Agreement [October 8, 2010]
"Sudan, geographically the largest country in Africa, has been ravaged by civil war intermittently for four decades. More than 2 million people have died in Southern Sudan over the past two decades due to war-related causes and famine, and millions have been displaced from their homes. There were many failed attempts to end the civil war in Southern Sudan. In July 2002, the Sudan government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed a peace framework agreement in Kenya. On May 26, 2004, the government of Sudan and the SPLM signed three protocols on Power Sharing, on the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile, and on the long disputed Abyei area. The signing of these protocols resolved all outstanding issues between the parties. On June 5, 2004, the parties signed 'the Nairobi Declaration on the Final Phase of Peace in the Sudan.' On January 9, 2005, the government of Sudan and the SPLM signed the final peace agreement at a ceremony held in Nairobi, Kenya. In April 2010, Sudan held national and regional elections. In January 2011, South Sudan will hold a referendum to decide on unity or independence. Abyei is also expected to hold a referendum in January 2011 to decide whether to retain the current special administrative status or to be part of South Sudan."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Dagne, Theodore S.
2010-10-08
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Stability in Russia's Chechnya and Other Regions of the North Caucasus: Recent Developments [December 13, 2010]
"Terrorist attacks in Russia's North Caucasus--a border area between the Black and Caspian Seas that includes the formerly breakaway Chechnya and other ethnic-based regions--appeared to increase substantially in 2007-2009. Moreover, civilian and government casualties reached levels not seen in several years and terrorist attacks again took place outside the North Caucasus. Although the number of terrorist incidents may have leveled off or even declined slightly in 2010 from the high levels of 2009, the rate of civilian and government casualties continued to increase throughout the North Caucasus in 2010 and a rising number of terrorist incidents took place outside of Chechnya. Illustrative of the new range and scope of violence, the Moscow subway system was bombed in March 2010, resulting in over 40 deaths and dozens of injuries. Before the recent rise in terrorism, it seemed that government security forces had been successful in tamping down their range and scope by aggressively carrying out over a thousand sweep operations ('zachistki') in the North Caucasus. [...] The United States generally has supported the Russian government's efforts to combat terrorism in the North Caucasus. However, successive Administrations and Congress have continued to raise concerns about the wide scope of human rights abuses committed by the Russian government in the North Caucasus. The conference agreement on Consolidated Appropriations for FY2010 (P.L. 111-117), calls for $7.0 million to continue humanitarian, conflict mitigation, human rights, civil society and relief and recovery assistance programs in the North Caucasus. It also repeats language used for several years that directs that 60% of the assistance allocated to Russia will be withheld (excluding medical, human trafficking, and Comprehensive Threat Reduction aid) until the President certifies that Russia is facilitating full access to Chechnya for international nongovernmental organizations providing humanitarian relief to displaced persons."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Nichol, James P.
2010-12-13
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Maternity Care Financing: Challenges and Opportunities Highlighted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Document: "Maternal mortality and serious morbidity rates are considerably higher in the United States than in other wealthy nations, and women of color are bearing the brunt of this crisis. Black and indigenous women are two to three times more likely to experience poor maternal and infant outcomes than white women in the United States. Even before the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, structural racism--including in how maternity care is delivered and financed-- has driven maternal health disparities. In this brief, we identify emerging challenges and key priorities for financing maternity care and other services for pregnant and postpartum women in ways that promote health equity."
Urban Institute; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Allen, Eva H.; Benatar, Sarah
2020-10
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State, Foreign Operations Appropriations: A Guide to Component Accounts [February 8, 2011]
"The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations legislation provides annual funding for almost all of the international affairs programs generally considered as part of the 150 International Affairs Budget Function (the major exception being food assistance). The legislation has also served as a vehicle for Congress to place conditions on the expenditure of those funds, and express its views regarding certain foreign policy issues. This report briefly discusses the legislation generally and then provides a short description of the various funding accounts as they appear in Division F, 'Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2010,' of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117). For FY2011, State, Foreign Operations programs are currently being funded under a continuing resolution (P.L. 111-242, as amended) that funds these programs through March 4, 2011."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Tarnoff, Curt; Resler, Tamara J.
2011-02-08
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Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program [March 11, 2011]
"In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act--popularly called the 'SAFER Act'--was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for activities related to the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The SAFER grant program is authorized through FY2010. [...] Concerns over local fire departments' budgetary problems have framed debate over the SAFER reauthorization, which was included in H.R. 3791, the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2009, passed by the House on November 18, 2009. On April 27, 2010, S. 3267, the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2010, was introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ultimately, the 111th Congress did not enact the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act. S. 550, the Fire Grants Authorization Act of 2011, was introduced into the 112th Congress on March 10, 2011. As part of the reauthorization debate, Congress may consider whether some SAFER rules and restrictions governing the hiring grants should be permanently eliminated or altered in order to make it economically feasible for more fire departments to participate in the program. The 112th Congress is also likely to consider appropriate funding levels for SAFER in FY2011 and FY2012."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.
2011-03-11
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TANF Emergency Contingency Fund [October 6, 2010]
"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) created a $5 billion Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to help states, Indian tribes, and the territories pay for additional economic aid to families during the current economic downturn. It was part of a package of tax and benefit program provisions aimed at stemming the decline in family incomes and purchasing power caused by increased unemployment. The ECF was a temporary fund for two years, FY2009 and FY2010, and expired on September 30, 2010. All of the available $5 billion was awarded by the fund's expiration date to states, tribes, and territories. [...] Though the economy grew in the last half of 2009 and the first half of 2010, unemployment remained high. Historically, the trends in cash welfare caseload have sometimes followed economic conditions, but sometimes not. After the 1990-1991 recession, welfare caseloads actually peaked in March 1994 before beginning their decline. President Obama's FY2011 budget proposed continuing emergency funds through FY2011. Thus far in 2010, the House has twice passed bills that included extensions to the ECF in 2010; proposals that included ECF extensions have also been before the Senate during the year but have not passed. Basic TANF funding was also scheduled to expire on September 30, 2010. TANF was extended through December 3, 2010, as part of a government-wide continuing resolution (P.L. 111-242), but the ECF was not extended. Congress did provide a $506 million appropriation for the TANF 'regular' contingency fund (created in the 1996 welfare law), which is currently the source of any additional federal TANF funds to meet additional costs associated with the lingering effects of the 2007-2009 recession."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2010-10-06
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TANF Emergency Contingency Fund [December 22, 2010]
"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) created a $5 billion Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to help states, Indian tribes, and the territories pay for additional economic aid to families during the current economic downturn. It was part of a package of tax and benefit program provisions aimed at stemming the decline in family incomes and purchasing power caused by increased unemployment. The ECF was a temporary fund for two years, FY2009 and FY2010, and expired on September 30, 2010. All of the available $5 billion was awarded by the fund's expiration date to states, tribes, and territories. Though the economy grew in the last half of 2009 and the first three quarters of 2010, unemployment remained high. Historically, the trend in the cash welfare caseload has sometimes followed economic conditions, but sometimes not. After the 1990-1991 recession, welfare caseloads actually peaked in March 1994 before beginning their decline. The 111th Congress considered legislation in 2010 to extend the ECF beyond September 30, 2010. However, though the House twice passed bills to extend the ECF, none of these measures received Senate approval. A provision of the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-291) extended the basic TANF program through the end of FY2011 without the ECF."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2010-12-22
