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Boeing 737 Max Crashes Shake Confidence in International Air Safety [March 14, 2019]
From the Document: "Recent foreign air disasters involving Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes have raised international concern about the safety of that aircraft and passenger airline safety in general. On October 29, 2018, Lion Air flight 610 crashed shortly after departure from Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 on board. While the investigation of the crash is still ongoing, it has been disclosed that pilots flying the same aircraft the previous day experienced some sort of navigation system failure and that maintenance records revealed ongoing problems with the aircraft's airspeed and angle-of-attack (AOA) sensors that monitor relative aircraft pitch. Aviation experts expressed concerns that faulty indications from these sensors could cause the aircraft's flight automation to command a pitch-down response. The investigation also revealed that aircraft documentation and pilot training may not have fully explained how the automation would respond under these circumstances. On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed shortly after departure from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, reportedly resulting in 157 fatalities."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Elias, Bartholomew
2019-03-14
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Army Corps of Engineers: FY2020 Appropriations [March 15, 2019]
From the Document: "Congress generally funds the civil works activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in an annual Energy and Water Development appropriations act. These activities include the planning and construction of water resource projects and the operations and maintenance of infrastructure and navigation improvements managed by USACE (e.g., navigation channels). For USACE civil works, President Trump requested $4.8 billion for FY2020. As shown in Figure 1, Congress typically funds USACE above the President's request for the year (e.g., $7.0 billion for FY2019). This In Focus provides a primer on the USACE appropriations process for FY2020."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Normand, Anna E.; Carter, Nicole T.
2019-03-15
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'Flores Settlement' and Alien Families Apprehended at the U.S. Border: Frequently Asked Questions [September 17, 2018]
"The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) authorizes--and in some case requires--DHS to detain aliens pending removal proceedings. However, neither the INA nor other federal laws specifically address when or whether alien family members must be detained together. DHS's options regarding the detention or release of alien families are significantly restricted by a binding settlement agreement from a case in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California now called Flores v. Sessions. The 'Flores Settlement' establishes a policy favoring the release of alien minors, including accompanied alien minors, and requires that those alien minors who are not released from government custody be transferred within a brief period to non-secure, state-licensed facilities. DHS indicates that few such facilities exist that can house adults and children together. Accordingly, under the Flores Settlement and current circumstances, DHS asserts that it generally cannot detain alien children and their parents together for more than brief periods."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Peck, Sarah Herman; Harrington, Ben
2018-09-17
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Georgia: Background and U.S. Policy [September 5, 2018]
"Georgia is one of the United States' closest non-NATO partners among the post-Soviet states. With a history of strong economic aid and security cooperation, the United States has deepened its strategic partnership with Georgia since Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia and 2014 invasion of Ukraine. U.S. policy expressly supports Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and Georgia is a leading recipient of U.S. aid in Europe and Eurasia. Many observers consider Georgia to be one of the most democratic states in the post Soviet region, even as the country faces ongoing governance challenges. The center-left Georgian Dream party has more than a three-fourths super majority in parliament, allowing it to rule with only limited checks and balances. Although Georgia faces high rates of poverty and underemployment, its economy in 2017 appeared to enter a period of stronger growth than the previous four years."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Welt, Cory
2018-09-05
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American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics [September 14, 2018]
"This report provides war casualty statistics. It includes data tables containing the number of fatalities and the number of wounded among American military personnel who served in principal wars and combat actions from 1775 to the present. It also includes information such as race and ethnicity, gender, branch of service, and, in some cases, detailed information on types of casualties and causes of death.Casualty statistics for wars that ended long ago are updated periodically, sometimes yearly. These updates almost always reflect the identification of remains of persons previously listed as missing in action and the reclassification of those persons as dead. Other reasons, much less frequent, include the discovery of errors in casualty records for individuals or categories such as race and ethnicity."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
DeBruyne, Nese F.
2018-09-14
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Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief [September 17, 2018]
"Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States,in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 6 in 2018 thus far) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there.In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban,and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed.While military officials profess greater optimism about the course of the war in 2018, other policy makers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country's territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a stalemate. Furthermore,the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy.Contentious parliamentary and presidential elections, scheduled for October 2018 and April 2019, respectively, may further inflame political tensions. Meanwhile, a series of developments in 2018 may signal greater U.S. urgency to begin peace talks to bring about a negotiated political settlement, the stated goal of U.S. policy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Thomas, Clayton (Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs)
2018-09-17
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Immigration: Frequently Asked Questions About 'Public Charge' [September 19, 2018]
"Immigration law in the United States has long contained exclusion and removal provisions designed to limit government spending on indigent non-U.S. nationals (aliens). Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) ,an alien may be denied admission into the United States or adjustment to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status if he or she is 'likely at any time to become a public charge.'An admitted alien may also be subject to removal from the United States based on a separate public charge ground of deportability, but this ground is rarely employed. Certain categories of aliens, such as refugees and asylees, are exempted from application of the public charge grounds.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS) have primary responsibility for implementing the INA's public charge provisions. DHS's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration and Services may make a public charge determination when an alien applies to adjust to LPR status. Abroad, DOS consular officers may make a public charge determination when an alien applies for a visa."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Singer, Audrey; Harrington, Ben
2018-09-19
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Congressional Primer on Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies [September 13, 2018]
"The principles of disaster management assume a leadership role by the local,state, and tribal governments affected by the incident. The federal government provides coordinated supplemental resources and assistance, only if requested and approved. The immediate response to a disaster is guided by the National Response Framework (NRF), which details roles and responsibilities at various levels of government, along with cooperation from the private and nonprofit sectors, for differing incidents and support functions. A possible declaration of a major disaster or emergency under the authority of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act,P.L. 93-288, as amended) must, in almost all cases, be requested by the governor of a state or the chief executive of an affected Indian tribal government, who at that point has declared that the situation is beyond the capacity of the state or tribe to respond. The governor/chief also determines for which parts of the state/tribal territory assistance will be requested, and suggests the types of assistance programs that may be needed. The President considers the request, in consultation with officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and makes the initial decisions on the areas to be included as well as the programs that are implemented."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Brown, Jared T.; Lindsay, Bruce R.
2018-09-13
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Agriculture in the WTO: Rules and Limits on U.S. Domestic Support [September 6, 2018]
"Trade plays a critical role in the U.S. agricultural sector. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that exports account for about 20% of total U.S. agricultural production. Furthermore, given the substantial volume of its agricultural exports, the United States plays a significant role in many international agricultural markets. As a result, U.S. farm policy is often subject to intense scrutiny both for compliance with current World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and for its potential to diminish the breadth or impede the success of future multilateral negotiations.In part, this is because a farm bill locks in U.S. policy behavior for an extended period of time during which the United States would be unable to accept any new restrictions on its domestic support programs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schnepf, Randall Dean, 1954-
2018-09-06
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Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV): Background and Issues for Congress [September 19, 2018]
"The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) is the Army's proposed replacement for the Vietnam-era M-113 personnel carriers, which are still in service in a variety of support capacities in Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs). While M-113s no longer serve as infantry fighting vehicles, five variants of the M-113 are used as command and control vehicles, general purpose vehicles, mortar carriers, and medical treatment and evacuation vehicles. The AMPV is intended to be a nondevelopmental program (candidate vehicles will be either existing vehicles or modified existing vehicles--not vehicles that are specially designed and not currently in service). Some suggest a nondevelopmental vehicle might make it easier for the Army to eventually field this system to the force, as most of the Army's past developmental programs, such as the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV), the Future Combat System (FCS), the Crusader self-propelled artillery system, and the Comanche helicopter, were cancelled before they could be fully developed and fielded."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Feickert, Andrew
2018-09-19
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Federal Grants and Loans for State and Local Emergency Communications Projects: Frequently Asked Questions [September 20, 2018]
"Improving emergency communications has been an area of congressional interest for many years. Before September 11, 2001, Congress provided funding through grants, which could be used to improve state and local emergency communications through purchases of police and fire radios, construction of communication towers, and disaster planning, training, and exercises. After September 11, 2001, Congress increased funding to improve interoperability between public safety agencies at all levels of government to enhance communication and coordination during response. Congress has also supported investments in broadband for public safety through several grant and loan programs, many focused on expanding broadband to rural areas. In 2012, Congress provided $6.5 billion to create the First Responder Network (FirstNet), a new nationwide public safety broadband network. While this provides public safety agencies with a common platform to communicate, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies may look to federal funding to equip responders with devices, and to enhance coverage."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gallagher, Jill C.
2018-09-20
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Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) Risk Adjustment Program: Frequently Asked Questions [October 5, 2018]
"The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended) created a permanent risk adjustment program that aims to reduce some of the incentives insurers may have to avoid enrolling individuals who are at risk of high health care costs in the private health insurance market-- specifically in the individual (nongroup) and small-group markets. Section 1343 of the ACA established the risk adjustment program, which is designed to assess charges to health plans that have relatively healthier enrollees compared with other health plans in a given state. The program use scollected charges from plans with comparatively healthy enrollees to make payments to plans in the same state that have relatively sicker enrollees. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administers the risk adjustment program as a budget-neutral program, so that payments made are equal to the charges collected in each state. Risk adjustment transfers are intended to account for differences in health risk among plans in each state while allowing for premium differences based on allowable rating factors."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kehres, Katherine M.
2018-10-05
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Social Media Adoption by Members of Congress: Trends and Congressional Considerations [October 9, 2018]
"This report examines Member adoption of social media broadly. Because congressional adoption of long-standing social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube is nearly ubiquitous, this report focuses on the adoption of other, newer social media platforms. These include Instagram, Flickr, and Google+, which have each been adopted by at least 2.5% of Representatives and Senators. Additionally, Members of Congress have adopted Snapchat, Medium, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Periscope, and Tumblr at lower levels. This report evaluates the adoption rates of various social media platforms and what the adoption of multiple platforms might mean for an office's social media strategy. Data on congressional adoption of social media were collected by an academic institution in collaboration with the Congressional Research Service during the 2016-2017 academic year. This report provides a snapshot of a dynamic process. As with any new technology, the number of Members using any single social media platform, and the patterns of use, may change rapidly in short periods of time. As a result, the conclusions drawn from these data cannot necessarily be generalized or used to predict future behavior."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Straus, Jacob R.
2018-10-09
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Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) and Public Safety Officers' Educational Assistance (PSOEA) Programs [October 1, 2018]
"The Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program provides cash benefits to federal, state, and local law enforcement officers; firefighters; employees of emergency management agencies; and members of emergency medical services agencies who are killed orpermanently and totally disabled as the result of personal injuries sustained in the line of duty. The Public Safety Officers' Educational Assistance (PSOEA) program, a component of the PSOB program, provides higher-education assistance to the children and spouses of public safety officers killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Szymendera, Scott
2018-10-01
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Proposed U.S. - Mexico - Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement [October 5, 2018]
"On September 30, 2018, the United States and Canada reached an agreement for Canada to join the preliminarily agreed upon pact with Mexico to update and revise the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and to rename it the U.S. - Mexico - Canada Agreement (USMCA). Pursuant to trade promotion authority (TPA), the preliminary agreement with Mexico was notified to Congress on August 31, 2018, in part to allow for the signing of the agreement prior to Mexico's president-elect Andreas Manuel Lopez Obrador taking office on December 1, 2018. This product provides preliminary comparative analysis between the two agreements."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Fergusson, Ian F.; Villarreal, M. Angeles
2018-10-05
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Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies [September 25, 2018]
"Successive Administrations have identified Iran as a key national security challenge, citing Iran's nuclear and missile programs as well as its long-standing attempts to counter many U.S. objectives in the region. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, in his February 13, 2018, annual worldwide threat assessment testimony before Congress, assessed that 'Iran will seek to expand its influence in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, where it sees conflicts generally trending in Tehran's favor...' and 'Iran will develop military capabilities that threaten U.S. forces and allies in the region.... 'Successive National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs) have required an annual report on Iran's military power, which has in recent years contained assessments of Iran similar to those presented publicly by the intelligence community."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2018-09-25
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Bahrain: Unrest, Security, and U.S. Policy [October 11, 2018]
"An uprising against Bahrain's Al Khalifa ruling family that began on February 14, 2011, has diminished in intensity, but punishments of oppositionists and periodic demonstrations continue. The mostly Shiite opposition to the Sunni-minority-led regime has not achieved its goal of establishing a constitutional monarchy, but the unrest has compelled the ruling family to undertake some modest reforms. The mainstream opposition uses peaceful forms of dissent, but small factions, reportedly backed by Iran, have claimed responsibility for bombings and other attacks on security officials. The Bahrain government's repression has presented a policy dilemma for the United States because Bahrain is along time ally that is pivotal to maintaining Persian Gulf security. The country has hosted a U.S. naval command headquarters for the Gulf region since 1948; the United States and Bahrain have had a formal Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) since 1991; and Bahrain was designated by the United States as a 'major non-NATO ally' in 2002. There are over 7,000 U.S. forces, mostly Navy, in Bahrain. Bahrain relies on U.S.-made arms, but, because of the government's use of force against protesters, the Obama Administration held up some new weapons sales to Bahrain and curtailed U.S. assistance to Bahrain's internal security organizations. In 2014, Bahrain joined the U.S. - led coalition against the Islamic State and flew strikes against the group's fighters in Syria that year, and has expressed willingness to join a U.S.-backed concept for a broad Arab coalition to counter Iran (Middle East Strategic Alliance)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2018-10-11
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Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs: FY2019 Budget and Appropriations [October 1, 2018]
"The Trump Administration submitted to Congress its FY2019 budget request on February 12, 2018. The proposal includes $41.86 billion for the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS). Of that amount, $13.26 billion would be for State Department operations, international broadcasting, and related agencies, and $28.60 billion for foreign operations. With the enactment of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA; P.L. 115-123, February 9, 2018), which raised discretionary spending limits set by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25), the Administration's FY2019 foreign affairs funding request is entirely within enduring (base) funds; no Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding is in the SFOPS request for the first time since FY2012."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Epstein, Susan B.; Lawson, Marian Leonardo; Gill, Cory R.
2018-10-01
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Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF): Overview, Issues, and Legislation [October 2, 2018]
"The state of the nation's water infrastructure and the challenges many communities face in addressing infrastructure needs continue to receive congressional attention. In 1996, Congress authorized the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to help public water systems finance infrastructure projects needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and to meet the act's health protection objectives. Under this program, states receive annual capitalization grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide financial assistance (primarily subsidized loans) to water systems for drinking water projects and related activities. Through FY2018, Congress has appropriated a total of $20.41 billion for the program. From FY1997 through FY2017, states provided $35.38 billion in DWSRF assistance to water systems for 14,090 projects."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Tiemann, Mary
2018-10-02
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Army Corps of Engineers Annual and Supplemental Appropriations: Issues for Congress [October 1, 2018]
"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is an agency within the Department of Defense with both military and civil works responsibilities. Congress directs USACE's civil works activities through authorizations legislation, annual and supplemental appropriations, and oversight activities. This report summarizes USACE's annual discretionary appropriations for civil works activities and its supplemental appropriations, principally following major flood and hurricane disasters. The appropriations described are for those accounts and activities that typically are funded through Title I of annual Energy and Water Development appropriations acts."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Carter, Nicole T.
2018-10-01
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Comparing DHS Component Funding, FY2019: In Brief [October 4, 2018]
"Generally, the homeland security appropriations bill includes all annual appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), providing resources to every departmental component. This report reviews the budget authority provided to DHS for FY2018, requested by the Trump Administration for FY2019, as well as the funding levels proposed in Senate and House Appropriations Committee-reported legislation for FY2019. It examines net discretionary annual appropriations for DHS -- a perspective on the net impact of legislation funding DHS on congressionally tracked budget totals--and also provides a more inclusive look at the resources available to DHS components to perform their missions."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Painter, William L.
2018-10-04
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Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities [October 11, 2018]
"Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). COLAs for both CSRS and FERS are determined by the average monthly CPI-W during the third quarter (July to September) of the current calendar year and the third quarter of the base year, which is the last previous year in which a COLA was applied. The 'effective date' for COLAs is December, but they first appear in the benefits issued during the following January. All CSRS retirees and survivors receive COLAs. Under FERS, however, nondisabled retirees under the age of 62 do not receive COLAs. Survivors and disabled retirees are eligible for COLAs under FERS regardless of age. CSRS pays a COLA that is equal to the percentage change in the CPI-W during the measurement period, but COLAs under FERS are limited if the rate of inflation is greater than 2.0%. If the rate of inflation during the measurement period is between 2.0% and 3.0%, the COLA under FERS is 2.0%. If inflation is greater than 3.0%, then the COLA for FERS benefits is equal to the CPI-W minus one percentage point."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-
2018-10-11
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Do Courts Have Inherent Authority to Release Secret Grand Jury Materials? [October 5, 2018]
"The U.S. Constitution requires that any prosecution of a serious federal crime be initiated by 'a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury.' The'[g]rand [j]ury' contemplated by the Constitution is a temporary, citizen-comprised body that obtains evidence and considers whether it is sufficient to justify criminal charges in a particular case. Though a grand jury works with federal prosecutors and functions under judicial auspices, it is considered an independent 'constitutional fixture in its own right' that 'belongs to no branch of the institutional Government, serving as a kind of buffer... between the Government and the people.' One long-established principle that has been deemed essential to the grand jury's functioning and independence is that matters occurring before it are to be kept secret. Secrecy prevents those under scrutiny from fleeing or importuning the grand jurors, encourages full disclosure by witnesses, and protects the innocent from unwarranted prosecution. For these and other reasons, prosecutors,the jurors themselves, and most others involved in grand jury proceedings are generally prohibited from revealing 'such matters as the identities or addresses of witnesses or jurors, the substance of testimony, the strategy or direction of the investigation, the deliberations or questions of jurors, and the like.'The prohibition endures even after a grand jury's work is completed."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Foster, Michael A. (Legislative attorney)
2018-10-05
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Defense's 30-Year Aircraft Plan Reveals New Details [October 9, 2018]
"Each year, the Department of Defense issues a 30-year aviation plan, intended to chart the direction of the aviation enterprise. This plan is typically relatively short on specifics, in part because 30 years is rather far to foresee in detail, particularly as that goes 25 years beyond official defense budget projections. By contrast, the most recent 30-year aviation plan released in April 2018 is full of details on specific programs, including cancellations, life extensions, and new starts. Some are explicit; others, between the lines. Some of the highlights follow."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gertler, Jeremiah
2018-10-09
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Electronic Filing of Senate Campaign Finance Reports [September 21, 2018]
"A FY2019 appropriations measure significantly changes campaign finance reporting requirements for Senate candidates. Report contents will not change, but the method of filing will. The provision appears in H.R. 5895, a minibus package that includes three FY2019 appropriations bills: Energy and Water Development, the Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. The Senate and House adopted the conference report accompanying the bill on September 12 and 13, respectively. The President signed the measure on September 21, 2018. In the 115th Congress, the electronic filing provision originated in Senator Tester's bill, S. 298."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Garrett, R. Sam, 1977-
2018-09-21
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Global Trends in Democracy: Background, U.S. Policy, and Issues for Congress [October 17, 2018]
"For decades U.S. policymakers have connected U.S. national security and other core interests with the spread of democracy around the world. Reflecting this, the promotion of democracy has been along standing and multifaceted element of U.S. foreign policy,and one often interrelated with U.S. efforts to promote human rights. Congress has often played an important role in supporting and institutionalizing U.S. democracy promotion by passing key legislation, appropriating funds for foreign assistance programs and other democracy promoting activities, and conducting over sight of aspects of U.S. foreign policy relevant to democracy promotion. Widespread concern sexist among analysts and policymakers over the current trajectory of democracy around the world and multiple hearings in the 115th Congress reflected bipartisan concern over this issue."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Weber, Michael A.
2018-10-17
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FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues [October 16, 2018]
"Each year, the House and Senate armed services committees take up national defense authorization bills. The House of Representatives passed the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (NDAA; H.R. 5515) on May 24, 2018. The Senate passed its version of the NDAA (H.R. 5515) on June 18, 2018. These bills contain numerous provisions that affect military personnel, retirees, and their family members. Provisions in one version are sometimes not included in the other, are treated differently, or are identical in both versions. Following passage of each chamber's bill, a conference committee typically convenes to resolve the differences between the respective chambers' versions of the bill. The FY2019 NDAA conference report was passed by the House on July 26, 2018, and the Senate on August 1, 2018. On August 13, 2018, President Donald J. Trump signed the bill into law (P.L. 115-232)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mendez, Bryce H. P.; Kamarck, Kristy N.; Kapp, Lawrence . . .
2018-10-16
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Homelessness: Targeted Federal Programs [October 18, 2018]
"Federal assistance targeted to homeless individuals and families was largely nonexistent prior to the mid-1980s. Although the Runaway and Homeless Youth program was enacted in 1974 as part of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (P.L. 93-415), the first federal program focused on assisting all homeless people, no matter their age, was the Emergency Food and Shelter (EFS) program, established in 1983 through an emergency jobs appropriation bill (P.L. 98-8). The EFS program was and continues to be administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide emergency food and shelter to needy individuals."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Perl, Libby; Boyd, Eugene; Duff, Johnathan H. . . .
2018-10-18
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Federal Civil Aviation Programs: In Brief [October 16, 2018]
"Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs are funded under four broad budget accounts: operations and maintenance (such as air traffic control and aviation safety functions); facilities and equipment (such as control towers and navigation beacons); grants for airport sunder the Airport Improvement Program (AIP); and civil aviation research conducted or sponsored by FAA. Additionally, certain aviation programs are administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of the Secretary, including the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes airline service to certain small or isolated communities. These programs are funded primarily through a special trust fund, the Airport and Airways Trust Fund (AATF), and, in part, through general fund contributions. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-254) authorizes AATF taxes and revenue collections and civil aviation program expenditures through FY2023."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Elias, Bartholomew; Tang, Rachel Y.
2018-10-16
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Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protections: In Brief [Updated October 18, 2018]
"Whistleblowing is 'the act of reporting waste, fraud, abuse and corruption in a lawful manner to those who can correct the wrongdoing.' Intelligence Community (IC) whistleblowers are those employees or contractors working in any of the 17 elements of the IC who reasonably believe there has been a violation of law, rule, or regulation, gross mismanagement, waste of resources, abuse of authority, or a substantial danger to public health and safety. The essential distinction between whistleblowers generally and those in the IC (or those who otherwise have security clearances) is the concern for protecting classified information that may be involved in an IC-related incident or complaint. The IC has recognized that whistleblowing can save taxpayers' dollars, ensure an ethical and safe working environment, and enable timely responses for corrective action."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
DeVine, Michael E.
2018-10-18
