Advanced search Help
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 2202, National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act
From the Document: "S. 2202 would authorize appropriations totaling $452 million over the 2019-2022 period (and $115 million in 2023) for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). (By comparison, the Congress provided $106 million for the NTSB in 2017.) That agency is responsible for investigating significant accidents that occur in civil aviation and other modes of surface, rail, and waterborne transportation and for recommending safety measures for preventing future accidents. As shown in the following table, and based on historical spending patterns, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing the bill would cost $427 million over the 2019-2022 period and an additional $138 million after 2022, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2018-02-14
-
Veterans Health Administration and Medical Education: In Brief [February 13, 2018]
"Training health care professionals--including physicians--is part of the VA's (Veterans Administration) statutory mission. It does so to provide an adequate supply of health professionals overall and for the VA's health system. This mission began in 1946, when the VA began entering into affiliations with medical schools as one strategy to increase capacity. Some trainees--in particular, those in the later years of training--may provide direct care to patients, thereby increasing provider capacity and patient access. In the long term, training physicians at the VA creates a pipeline for recruiting physicians as VA employees. In 2014, the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA, P.L. 113-46, as amended) initiated an expansion of the VA's medical training by requiring the VA to increase the number of graduate medical education positions at VA medical facilities by 1,500 positions over a five-year period beginning July 1, 2015, through 2019. P.L. 114-315 extended this time period to 10 years (i.e., through FY2024)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Heisler, Elayne J., 1976-; Panangala, Sidath Viranga
2018-02-13
-
Ecuador: In Brief [February 13, 2018]
"Ecuador is a small, oil-producing country of 16 million inhabitants located on the west coast of South America between Colombia and Peru. In 2017, Ecuador was considered to have the thirdlargest proven reserves of crude oil in South America, with 8.3 billion barrels. It is the smallest member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Petroleum is Ecuador's largest export to the United States, the country's top trade partner. With the reduction in crude oil price since 2014, Ecuador's earnings have fallen after years of strong growth."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Beittel, June S.
2018-02-13
-
Diversity Immigrants' Regions and Countries of Origin: Fact Sheet [February 13, 2018]
"Ongoing congressional deliberations over whether to maintain, alter, or eliminate the diversity immigrant visa program (also known as the 'lottery' or DV program) include an interest in the geographical origins of immigrants who have been admitted through this program. This fact sheet provides data on the regional and national origins of diversity immigrants (DV immigrants) and how they have shifted over time."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Wilson, Jill, 1974-
2018-02-13
-
Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) [February 13, 2018]
"The NFIP was established by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (NFIA, 42 U.S.C. §4001 et seq.), and was most recently reauthorized to March 23, 2018, through a series of short-term reauthorizations. The general purpose of the NFIP is both to offer primary flood insurance to properties with significant flood risk, and to reduce flood risk through the adoption of floodplain management standards. Communities volunteer to participate in the NFIP in order to have access to federal flood insurance, and in return are required to adopt minimum standards."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Horn, Diane P.; Brown, Jared T.
2018-02-13
-
Federal Disaster Assistance: The National Flood Insurance Program and Other Federal Disaster Assistance Programs Available to Individuals and Households After a Flood [February 13, 2018]
"The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the main program intended to provide federal assistance to homeowners and renters recovering from flood losses. The NFIP was established by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (NFIA, 42 U.S.C. §4001 et seq.). The general purpose of the NFIP is both to offer primary flood insurance to properties with significant flood risk, and to reduce flood risk through the adoption of floodplain management standards. As of November 2017, the NFIP had about 5 million flood insurance policies providing over $1.27 trillion in coverage. Nationally, as of December 2017, about 22,302 communities in 56 states and jurisdictions participated in the NFIP. According to FEMA, the program saves the nation an estimated $1.87 billion annually in flood losses avoided because of the NFIP's building and floodplain management regulations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Horn, Diane P.
2018-02-13
-
Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons [February 13, 2018]
"Recent debates about U.S. nuclear weapons have questioned what role weapons with shorter ranges and lower yields can play in addressing emerging threats in Europe and Asia. These weapons, often referred to as nonstrategic nuclear weapons, have not been limited by past U.S.Russian arms control agreements, although some analysts argue such limits would be of value, particularly in addressing Russia's greater numbers of these types of weapons. Others have argued that the United States should expand its deployments of these weapons, in both Europe and Asia, to address new risks of war conducted under a nuclear shadow. The Trump Administration addressed these questions in the Nuclear Posture Review released in February 2018, and determined that the United States should acquire two new types of nonstrategic nuclear weapons: a new low-yield warhead for submarine-launched ballistic missiles and a new sea-launched cruise missile."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woolf, Amy F.
2018-02-13
-
H. Rept. 115-553: National Strategy for Combating the Financing of Transnational Criminal Organizations Act, Report to Accompany H.R. 4768, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, February 13, 2018
From the Purpose and Summary: "On January 11, 2018, Representative David Kustoff introduced H.R. 4768, the 'National Strategy for Combating the Financing of Transnational Criminal Organizations Act,' which requires the President, acting through the Treasury Secretary, in consultation with other officials, and appropriate Federal banking agencies, to develop a national strategy to combat the financial network of transnational organized criminals and submit that strategy to Congress not later than one year after the Act's enactment and biennially thereafter. [...] The goal of H.R. 4768 is to establish a national strategy to combat the financial networks of transnational criminal organizations."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2018-02-13
-
After Action Report/Improvement Plan: South Texas Project [October 31, 2017]
From the Executive Summary: "On October 31, 2017, an out-of-sequence medical drill was conducted for the South Texas Project (STP) located near Wadsworth, Matagorda County, Texas. Personnel from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA), Region VI, evaluated the drills. The purpose was to assess the level of preparedness of state and local responders to react to a simulated radiological emergency at STP. [...] This report contains the final written evaluation of this out-of-sequence drill."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2018-02-13
-
CDC's Response to Zika [presentation]
This presentation given at the Tribal Vector Borne Diseases Meeting in Chandler, Arizona, on February 13, 2018, provided an update on emerging data and information regarding the Zika virus from the Centers for Disease Control.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Glover, Maleeka
2018-02-13
-
Ecology of RMSF on Arizona Tribal Lands [presentation]
This presentation provides information on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and its presence on tribal lands in Arizona.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Levin, M. L.
2018-02-13
-
Statement for the Record, Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Daniel R. Coats, Director of National Intelligence, February 13, 2018
From the introduction: "Chairman Burr, Vice Chairman Warner, Members of the Committee, thank you for the invitation to offer the United States Intelligence Community's 2018 assessment of threats to US national security. My statement reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community's extraordinary women and men, whom I am privileged and honored to lead. We in the Intelligence Community are committed every day to providing the nuanced, independent, and unvarnished intelligence that policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel need to protect American lives and America's interests anywhere in the world. The order of the topics presented in this statement does not necessarily indicate the relative importance or magnitude of the threat in the view of the Intelligence Community. Information available as of 8 February 2018 was used in the preparation of this assessment."
United States. Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Coats, Daniel R., 1943-
2018-02-13
-
On a Typical Day in Fiscal Year 2017, CBP
This document contains data on typical daily operations of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in FY2017.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
2018-02-13
-
CBP Trade and Travel Fiscal Year 2017 Report
From the Introduction: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection's [CBP] dual mission of protecting the borders of the United States and facilitating legitimate trade and travel is not only a critical component of national security, but also of the nation's economic prosperity. In fiscal year 2017, CBP saw continued growth in international travel and trade--processing more foreign nationals and cargo at U.S. ports of entry than in FY2016."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
2018-02-13
-
Advanced Integrated Passenger and Baggage Screening Technologies (Fiscal Year 2017 Report to Congress)
"The FY 2017 DHS Appropriations Act (P.L. 115-31) and accompanying Joint Explanatory Statement and Senate Report 114-264 require TSA [Transportation Security Administration] to submit a detailed report to address the following: [1] DHS efforts and resources that are devoted to developing more advanced integrated passenger screening technologies for the most effective security of passengers and baggage at the lowest possible operating and acquisition costs; [2] TSA deployment of its existing passenger and baggage screener workforce in the most cost-effective manner; and [3] Labor savings from the deployment of improved technologies for passenger and baggage screening, and how those savings are being used to offset security costs or are being reinvested to address security vulnerabilities. The report also includes projected funding levels for the next 5 fiscal years, or until project completion, for each technology discussed."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2018-02-13
-
National Flood Insurance Program: Selected Issues and Legislation in the 115th Congress [February 13, 2018]
"Congress is currently considering reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The House passed a reauthorization bill (H.R. 2874) in November 2017, and three bills have been introduced in the Senate, but so far the NFIP has received a series of short-term reauthorizations. The debate over a longer reauthorization of the NFIP is taking place in the wake of the 2017 hurricane season, which produced widespread flooding and renewed concern about the structure of the NFIP and its solvency in the face of catastrophic flood losses. The NFIP is authorized by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, and was reauthorized until September 30, 2017, by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12). Congress amended elements of BW-12, but did not extend the NFIP's authorization further in the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA). The NFIP received a short-term reauthorization through December 8, 2017, a second short-reauthorization through December 22, 2017, and a third short-term reauthorization through January 19, 2018. The NFIP lapsed between January 20 and January 22, 2018, received a fourth short-term reauthorization until February 8, 2018.7 The NFIP lapsed for approximately eight hours during a brief government shut-down in the early morning of February 9, 2018, and was then reauthorized until March 23, 2018."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Horn, Diane P.
2018-02-13
-
National Flood Insurance Program Borrowing Authority [February 13, 2018]
"This Insight evaluates the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) borrowing authority to receive loans from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, particularly in the context of major floods, and discusses the current financial situation of the NFIP as it pays claims from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Horn, Diane P.
2018-02-13
-
Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief [February 12, 2018]
"Since President Trump took office, he and officials from his Administration have expressed desires to broker a final-status Israeli-Palestinian agreement. Many of their statements, however, have raised questions about whether and when a new U.S.-backed diplomatic initiative to pursue that goal might surface, as well as broader questions about the U.S. role in the peace process. In December, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and announced his intention to relocate the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. In response, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas publicly rejected U.S. sponsorship of the peace process. Many other countries opposed President Trump's statements on Jerusalem. This opposition was reflected in December action at the United Nations (see 'Jerusalem' below). These U.S. steps have changed the context for Israeli and Palestinian discussions on their respective political priorities. These discussions, in turn, have influenced Administration decisions to reduce or delay aid to the Palestinians."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Zanotti, Jim
2018-02-12
-
D.C. Circuit Upholds as Constitutional the Structure of the CFPB - Part I [February 12, 2018]
"The entire U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) issued a potentially important decision on January 31, upholding the structural design of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The en banc court held by a vote of 7-3 that the agency's various statutory elements of independence, including a provision that limited the President's authority to remove the CFPB Director, do not infringe upon the President's powers under Article II of the Constitution. The decision, PHH Corp. v. CFPB, comes after a previous (but since vacated) three-judge panel decision held that providing removal protections to the sole director of the CFPB violated the Constitution. Although the en banc court rejected the earlier panel's constitutional reasoning, the D.C. Circuit nonetheless reinstated the previous decision's statutory holding, which had invalidated the CFPB's interpretation of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (RESPA). The D.C. Circuit's latest decision therefore effectively rejected the CFPB enforcement action that gave rise to the case, but reaffirmed, and may expand, what is likely Congress's chief tool for ensuring agency independence: the use of 'for-cause' removal protections. This two-part Sidebar series begins with a brief summary of the Supreme Court's views of the President's removal power before addressing the PHH litigation and the en banc majority opinion. Part II of this series will address some of the separate opinions issued in the case and then highlight certain implications for Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Garvey, Todd; Cole, Jared P.
2018-02-12
-
Would It Violate Equal Protection to Prohibit Naturalized "Dreamers" from Sponsoring Their Parents for Immigrant Visas? [February 12, 2018]
"Much of the recent immigration reform debate has focused on legislative options to address the situation of non-U.S. nationals (aliens) who were brought to the country as children and who do not have lawful immigration status. Such aliens are colloquially referred to as 'Dreamers' by many observers because they are largely the same population that the various Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) bills introduced over the years have sought to address. [...] This policy debate about Dreamers' parents has given rise to a fundamental legal question: does Congress have the constitutional authority to craft a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers that includes unique restrictions on family sponsorship? Suppose, for instance, that Congress enacts a statute that (i) grants Dreamers a pathway to citizenship, but (ii) restricts Dreamers' ability, after they naturalize, to sponsor their parents for immigrant visas. Would this parent-sponsorship restriction violate naturalized Dreamers' constitutional right to equal protection of the laws by drawing a line between them and other similarly situated U.S. citizens?"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Harrington, Ben
2018-02-12
-
D.C. Circuit Upholds as Constitutional the Structure of the CFPB - Part II [February 12, 2018]
"As discussed in Part I of this two-part Sidebar, the en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) issued a decision last week upholding the structural design of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The court ruled in PHH Corp. v. CFPB that the features of independence granted to the agency in the Dodd Frank Act, including a provision that limits the circumstances in which the President can remove the CFPB Director, do not violate Article II's vestment of executive power in the President. While Part I discusses the court's majority opinion, this part examines several of the separate opinions from PHH that take a different view of the constitutional issues at stake in the case. The Sidebar then concludes with some considerations for Congress, including the potential impact of the decision for the independence of federal agencies and the possibility of Supreme Court review of the en banc ruling."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cole, Jared P.; Garvey, Todd
2018-02-12
-
U.S. Army Weapons-Related Directed Energy (DE) Programs: Background and Potential Issues for Congress [February 12, 2018]
"The U.S. military has a long and complicated history in developing directed energy (DE) weapons. Many past efforts have failed for a variety of reasons and not all failures were attributed to scientific or technological challenges associated with weaponizing DE. At present, a number of U.S. military DE weapons-related programs are beginning to show promise, such as the Navy's Laser Weapon System (LaWs), the first ever Department of Defense (DOD) laser weapon to be deployed and approved for operational use, according to the Navy. With a number of U.S. Army weapons-related DE programs showing promise during concept demonstrations and their potential relevance in addressing a number of current and emerging threats to U.S. ground forces, some believe the Army is making progress to field viable DE weapon systems designed to counter rockets, artillery, and mortars (C-RAM) and address certain types of short-range air defense (SHORAD) threats."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Feickert, Andrew
2018-02-12
-
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2018 Budget and Appropriations [February 12, 2018]
"The FY2018 appropriations for Defense (DOD) and/or nondefense could affect SFOPS funding in FY2018 because of the discretionary spending limits set by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25). For FY2018, the caps for enduring or base funds are set at $549 billion for defense and $516 billion for nondefense (including SFOPS). Exceeding these caps could lead to congressional action. Congress may seek to avert sequestration by amending or repealing the BCA, or passing a bipartisan budget agreement to raise OCO-designated funding for both DOD and SFOPS, as it did in FY2015."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Epstein, Susan B.; Lawson, Marian Leonardo; Gill, Cory R.
2018-02-12
-
Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC): Structure and Activities [February 12, 2018]
"The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) and its Office of Financial Research (OFR) were established by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111203) to address several potential sources of systemic risk. Some observers argue that communication and coordination of financial regulators was insufficient to prevent the financial crisis of 2008. To foster coordination and communication, the FSOC assembles the heads of federal financial regulators, representatives from state regulatory bodies, and an independent insurance expert in a single venue. The OFR supports the FSOC with data collection, research, and analysis."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Stupak, Jeffrey M.
2018-02-12
-
Emergency Assistance for Agricultural Land Rehabilitation [February 12, 2018]
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers several permanently authorized programs to help producers recover from natural disasters. Most of these programs offer financial assistance to producers for a loss in the production of crops or livestock. In addition to the production assistance programs, USDA also has several permanent disaster assistance programs that help producers repair damaged crop and forest land following natural disasters. These programs offer financial and technical assistance to producers to repair, restore, and mitigate damage on private land. These emergency agricultural land assistance programs include the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP), and the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program. In addition to these programs, USDA also has flexibility in administering other programs that allow for support and repair of damaged cropland in the event of an emergency."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Stubbs, Megan
2018-02-12
-
Individual Income Tax Rates and Other Key Elements of the Federal Individual Income Tax: 1988 to 2017 [February 12, 2018]
"Statutory individual income tax rates are the tax rates that apply by law to various amounts of taxable income. Statutory rates form the basis of marginal effective and average effective tax rates, which most economists believe have a greater impact on the economic behavior of companies and individuals than do statutory rates. Marginal effective rates reflect the net effect of special tax provisions on statutory rates. They differ from average effective rates, which measure someone's overall tax burden. Current statutory and effective individual tax rates are the result of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA86; P.L. 99-514) and several tax laws that have been enacted since 1986. Of particular importance among the latter are the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA90; P.L. 101-508), the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (OBRA93; P.L. 103-66), the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA; P.L. 107-16), the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (TRUC; P.L. 111-312), and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA, P.L. 112-240). TRA86 altered the income tax rate structure. EGTRRA established what are referred to as the Bush-era tax cuts for individuals. TRUC extended those cuts for another two years, through 2012. ATRA permanently extended the Bush-era tax rates for taxpayers with taxable incomes below $400,000 for single filers and $450,000 for joint filers but reinstated the 39.6% top rate established by OBRA93 for taxpayers with taxable incomes equal to or above those amounts."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Guenther, Gary L.
2018-02-12
-
Fueling an Epidemic: Exposing the Financial Ties Between Opioid Manufacturers and Third Party Advocacy Groups (Report 2)
"This report provides the first comprehensive snapshot of the financial connections between opioid manufacturers and advocacy groups and professional societies operating in the area of opioids policy. Drawing on disclosures from Purdue Pharma L.P., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Mylan N.V., Depomed, Inc., and Insys Therapeutics, Inc., in response to requests from Ranking Member McCaskill, the sections below describe nearly $9 million in payments from these manufacturers to 14 outside groups working on chronic pain and other opioid-related issues between 2012 and 2017. In addition, physicians affiliated with these groups accepted more than $1.6 million in payments from the five manufacturers between 2013 and the present. In total, the five manufacturers have made more than $10 million in payments to these groups and affiliated individuals since January 2012. [...] The fact that these same manufacturers provided millions of dollars to the groups described below suggests, at the very least, a direct link between corporate donations and the advancement of opioidsfriendly messaging. By aligning medical culture with industry goals in this way, many of the groups described in this report may have played a significant role in creating the necessary conditions for the U.S. opioids epidemic."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2018-02-12?
-
Test Results for Disk Imaging Tool: Computer Forensic Tool (CFT) Version 3.4.1
From the Introduction: "The objective of the CFTT [Computer Forensics Tool Testing] program is to provide measurable assurance to practitioners, researchers, and other applicable users that the tools used in computer forensics investigations provide accurate results. Accomplishing this requires the development of specifications and test methods for computer forensics tools and subsequent testing of specific tools against those specifications. Test results provide the information necessary for developers to improve tools, users to make informed choices, and the legal community and others to understand the tools' capabilities. [...] This document reports the results from testing the disk imaging function of CFT [Computer Forensic Tool] Version 3.4.1 using the CFTT Federated Testing Test Suite for Disk Imaging, Version 2.1."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate
2018-02-12
-
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 4581, Screening and Vetting Passenger Exchange Act of 2017
"H.R. 4581 would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop effective practices for screening certain people entering the United States through the review of information provided by those travelers. The act would direct DHS to share those practices with certain other countries. DHS is currently carrying out activities similar to those that would be required by the act; thus, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing H.R. 4581 would not significantly affect spending by DHS."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2018-02-12
-
FEMA Daily Operations Briefings, February 11 - 17, 2018
This document is a compilation of all the FEMA Daily Operations Briefings from February 11 - 17, 2018. The FEMA Daily Operations Briefing provides an overview of the current emergency management situation nationwide and includes a summary of current significant events, weather activity, recent emergency declarations and projections for the coming week
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2018-02-11?
