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).
-
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress [April 6, 2017]
From the Summary: "The Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate program is a program to procure a large number of LCSs and modified LCSs. The modified LCSs are to be referred to as frigates. The LCS program has been controversial over the years due to past cost growth, design and construction issues with the lead ships built to each design (including, most recently, multiple problems with the ships' propulsion systems), concerns over the ships' survivability (i.e., ability to withstand battle damage), concerns over whether the ships are sufficiently armed and would be able to perform their stated missions effectively, and concerns over the development and testing of the ships' modular mission packages. The Navy's execution of the program has been a matter of congressional oversight attention for several years. [...] The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget requests $1,125.6 million for the procurement of the 27th and 28th LCSs, or an average of $562.8 million for each ship. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget also requests $86 million in so-called "cost-to-complete" procurement funding to cover cost growth on LCSs procured in previous fiscal years, and $139.4 million for procurement of LCS mission module equipment. The LCS program poses several issues for Congress, including whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's FY2017 funding requests for the program, and whether to approve, reject, or modify the Secretary of Defense's December 2015 direction to the Navy to reduce the program from 52 ships to 40, and to neck down to a single design variant not later than FY2019."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2017-04-06
-
Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress [April 6, 2017]
From the Summary: "The Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) program, which is carried out by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy, gives Navy Aegis cruisers and destroyers a capability for conducting BMD operations. Under MDA and Navy plans, the number of BMD-capable Navy Aegis ships is scheduled to grow from 33 at the end of FY2016 to 49 at the end of FY2021. The figure for FY2020 may include up to four BMD-capable Aegis cruisers in reduced operating status as part of a program to modernize 11 existing Aegis cruisers. Under the Administration's European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) for European BMD operations, BMD-capable Aegis ships are operating in European waters to defend Europe from potential ballistic missile attacks from countries such as Iran. BMD-capable Aegis ships also operate in the Western Pacific and the Persian Gulf to provide regional defense against potential ballistic missile attacks from countries such as North Korea and Iran. The Aegis BMD program is funded mostly through MDA's budget. The Navy's budget provides additional funding for BMD-related efforts. MDA's proposed FY2017 budget requests a total of $1,774.8 million in procurement and research and development funding for Aegis BMD efforts, including funding for two Aegis Ashore sites in Poland and Romania that are to be part of the EPAA. MDA's budget also includes operations and maintenance (O&M) and military construction (MilCon) funding for the Aegis BMD program."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2017-04-06
-
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress [April 6, 2017]
From the Summary: "CVN-78, CVN-79, CVN-80, and CVN-81 are the first four ships in the Navy's new Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). CVN-78 was fully funded in prior fiscal years. The Navy's proposed FY2016 budget requests procurement for CVN-79 and advance procurement (AP) funding for CVN-80. CVN-78 was procured in FY2008. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget estimates the ship's procurement cost at $12,887.0 million (i.e., about $12.9 billion) in then-year dollars. The ship received advance procurement funding in FY2001-FY2007 and was fully funded in FY2008-FY2011 using congressionally authorized four-year incremental funding. To help cover cost growth on the ship, the ship received an additional $1,374.9 million in FY2014-FY2016 in FY2015 in so-called cost-to-complete procurement funding. The Navy's proposed FY2017 budget does not request any additional funding for the ship. The Navy has postponed the ship's delivery date repeatedly to accommodate delays in its construction and testing process. As of January 2017, the ship was scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in April 2017."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2017-04-06
-
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) [March 31, 2017]
From the Summary: "The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is comprised of nine members, two ex officio members, and other members as appointed by the President representing major departments and agencies within the federal executive branch. While the group generally has operated in relative obscurity, the proposed acquisition of commercial operations at six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World in 2006 placed the group's operations under intense scrutiny by Members of Congress and the public. Prompted by this case, some Members of the 109th and 110th Congresses questioned the ability of Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities given the general view that CFIUS's operations lack transparency. Other Members revisited concerns about the linkage between national security and the role of foreign investment in the U.S. economy. Some Members of Congress and others argued that the nation's security and economic concerns had changed following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and that those concerns were not being reflected sufficiently in the Committee's deliberations. In addition, anecdotal evidence seemed to indicate that the CFIUS process was not market neutral. Instead, a CFIUS investigation of an investment transaction may have been perceived by some firms and by some in the financial markets as a negative factor that added to uncertainty and may have spurred firms to engage in behavior that may not have been optimal for the economy as a whole."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jackson, James K., 1949-
2017-03-31
-
Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal Funding and Issues [April 4, 2017]
From the Summary: "The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) receives its funding through federal appropriations; overall, about 15% of public television and 10% of radio broadcasting funding comes from the federal appropriations that CPB distributes. CPB's appropriation is allocated through a distribution formula established in its authorizing legislation and has historically received two-year advanced appropriations. Congressional policymakers are increasingly interested in the federal role in supporting CPB due to concerns over the federal debt, the role of the federal government funding for public radio and television, and whether public broadcasting provides a balanced and nuanced approach to covering news of national interest. It is also important to note that many congressional policymakers defend the federal role of funding public broadcasting. […] The two-year advanced appropriations process for CPB means that in any given year congressional policymakers are considering what the CPB appropriations will be two years from that time. So as Congress continues to consider funding for the FY2017 fiscal year, that deliberation will include CPB funding for FY2019. On June 9, 2016, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 29-1 to approve S.Rept. 114-274, the FY2017 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. Included in this report is $445 million for CPB in FY2019. However, Congress has not passed a final FY2017 appropriations bill; the most recent funding is a continuing resolution bill, P.L. 114-223, which was signed into law by President Obama on December 9, 2016. The Trump administration has requested zero funding for CPB in FY2018."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
McLoughlin, Glenn J.; Gomez, Lena A.
2017-04-04
-
How Measures Are Brought to the Senate Floor: A Brief Introduction [April 6, 2017]
From the Summary: "Two basic methods are used by the Senate to bring legislation to the floor for consideration: (1) The Senate, at the majority leader's request, grants unanimous consent to take up a matter, or (2) it agrees to his motion to proceed to consider it. Because the motion to proceed is subject to debate in most circumstances, it is less frequently used. Both methods are derived from the basic premise that the Senate as a body may decide what matters it considers. The Senate may also use the same two methods to bring up executive business (nominations and treaties). This report will be updated to reflect changes in Senate practice."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Davis, Christopher M., 1966-
2017-04-06
-
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy [April 13, 2017]
"The uprising against Bahrain's Al Khalifa ruling family that began on February 14, 2011, has diminished in intensity, but continued incarceration of dissident leaders, opposition boycotts of elections, and small demonstrations counter government assertions that Bahrain has 'returned to normal.' 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 modest reforms. The vast bulk of the opposition uses peaceful forms of dissent, but small, underground factions, possibly backed by Iran, have claimed responsibility for bombings and other attacks primarily against security officials. […] The Trump Administration's stance on Iran comports closely with that of Bahrain's leadership, which has repeatedly asserted that Iran is providing material support to violent opposition factions. Bahrain expressed the same concerns about the Iran nuclear agreement ('Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,'JCPOA) that have been articulated by President Trump and by the other Gulf states-that sanctions relief has contributed to Iran's expansion of its regional influence. However, as part of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consensus, Bahraini leaders have publicly expressed support for the JCPOA as precluding Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The Trump Administration has lifted conditionality on some major arms sales, particularly the sale of additional F-16 combat aircraft, prompting Bahrain opposition criticism that the new Administration is sacrificing human rights concerns to focus on countering Iran."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2017-04-13
-
NASS and U.S. Crop Production Forecasts: Methods and Issues [April 13, 2017]
"This report provides an overview of NASS [National Agricultural Statistics Service]. First, it reviews the origins, legislative authority, and funding for NASS. Then, the report describes the survey methodology used by NASS to generate crop production forecasts and estimates for U.S. crops at both the state and national level. Third, this report describes the systematic evolution that occurs over the course of a growing season for both the survey methodology and the annual sequence of NASS reports that are used to convey the crop production forecasts to the U.S. agricultural sector. Fourth, this report describes how NASS survey methodology is extended to collect county-level crop area and yield estimates. This fourth section also includes a discussion of emergent issues related to low producer response rates to NASS surveys and the subsequent discrepancies in neighboring county yield estimates and farm program payments. Finally, the report discusses how evidence on market price reaction to USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture] crop production forecasts indicates that there is no visible pattern of bias or error."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schnepf, Randall Dean, 1954-
2017-04-13
-
Cost-Benefit Analysis and Financial Regulator Rulemaking [April 12, 2017]
"Congress has granted many federal agencies the authority to issue regulations that carry the force of law. This grant of authority raises the issue of how those agencies should be held accountable for the regulations they implement. One method of maintaining accountability is requiring agencies to analyze the potential effects of new regulations-sometimes called 'regulatory analysis' or 'regulatory impact analysis'-before implementing them and making the analyses public during the rulemaking process. An important and commonly performed type of regulatory analysis is a 'cost-benefit analysis' (CBA)-a systematic examination, estimation, and comparison of the economic costs and benefits resulting from the implementation of a new rule. By performing and making public such analyses, an agency demonstrates that it has given reasoned consideration to the necessity and efficacy of a rule and the effects it will have on society. […] This report examines issues related to financial regulators and CBAs, including potential difficulties facing such regulators and methods available to them when preforming a CBA; the analytical requirements the agencies currently face; and the arguments for and against increasing requirements on financial regulators. This report also briefly describes several examples of proposed legislation that would change the requirements facing financial regulators."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Perkins, David W.; Carey, Maeve P.
2017-04-12
-
Congressional News Media and the House and Senate Press Galleries [April 13, 2017]
"The House and Senate press galleries provide services both for journalists and for Members of Congress. The news media helps Members communicate with the public, and enables the public to learn about policy initiatives, understand the legislative process, and observe elected officials representing their constituents. In the earliest Congresses, news reports commonly provided the most comprehensive record of congressional proceedings, even for Members themselves, because few official documents were kept. To accommodate the press, and in response to its growth through the mid-19th century, the House and Senate established formal press galleries in 1877, providing resources and organization for journalists reporting from the Capitol. This report provides information about the rules and authorities that affect media coverage of Congress, current practices among the press galleries, and selected data on gallery membership since the 94th Congress. It also provides a brief discussion of considerations that commonly underlie the galleries' practices or may affect gallery operations and congressional media rules."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Eckman, Sarah J.
2017-04-13
-
Video Broadcasting of Congressional Proceedings [April 17, 2017]
"From postal mail to social media, Members of Congress have regularly adopted and utilized new communications tools to better inform constituents about the workings of Congress and important policy matters. Some of these communications advancements also facilitate better information within Congress as it undertakes its legislative work. By the mid-20th century, radio and television broadcasts offered Congress the ability, for the first time, to provide real-time information about events unfolding on the chamber floors or in committees. […] This report begins with a brief history of early congressional experiences with television coverage and background on the decisions to allow regular committee and floor broadcasts. The next sections describe how video coverage is administered within Congress, discussing rules, regulations, and authorities affecting video recording and broadcasting for House committees, House floor proceedings, Senate committees, and Senate floor proceedings. A brief overview of C-SPAN's history, organization, and operating structure is then provided. The final sections of this report discuss some recent events related to congressional video and highlight some of the new challenges presented by smartphone and wireless broadcasting technologies."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Eckman, Sarah J.
2017-04-17
-
Selected International Insurance Issues in the 115th Congress [April 17, 2017]
"U.S. insurers and Congress face new policy issues and questions related to the opportunities and risks presented by the growth in the international insurance market and trade in insurance products. Insurance is often seen as a localized product and U.S. insurance regulation has addressed this through a state-centric regulatory system. The McCarran-Ferguson Act, passed by Congress in 1945, gives primacy to the individual states and every state has its own insurance regulator and state laws governing insurance. While the risks of loss and the regulation may be local, the business of insurance, as with many financial services, has an increasingly substantial international component as companies look to grow and diversify. […] The new federal involvement in insurance issues, both domestic and international, has created frictions both among the federal entities and between the states and the federal entities, and has been a subject of both Congressional hearings and proposed legislation. This report discusses trade in insurance services and summarizes the various international entities and agreements affecting the regulation of and trade in insurance. It then addresses particular issues and controversies in greater depth, including a focus on the pending U.S.-EU covered agreement, and concludes with a section on issues relating to international insurance standards."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Webel, Baird; Fefer, Rachel F.
2017-04-17
-
U.S. Strike on Syrian Airbase: Legal under International Law? [April 17, 2017]
"In his letter to Congress under the War Powers Resolution, President Trump cited his Article II powers as his domestic legal authority for the April 6 missile strike on Al Shayrat airbase in Syria, but did not describe a legal basis to justify the action under international law. The missile strike may raise questions under international law including, in particular, whether the action is consistent with U.S. obligations under the U.N. Charter. The answer may in turn raise questions about whether the validity of the international legal basis has any bearing on the validity of the action pursuant to U.S. domestic law. This Sidebar provides a brief overview."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
2017-04-17
-
Overview of U.S. Immigration Laws Regulating the Admission and Exclusion of Aliens at the Border [June 25, 2018]
"Following the publication of this Sidebar, on June 20, 2018, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain custody of families who unlawfully enter the United States pending their removal proceedings or any unlawful entry criminal prosecution of one of the family members. The executive order declares an intent to 'maintain family unity, including by detaining alien families together where appropriate and consistent with law and available resources.' The executive order further directs the Attorney General to file a request with the federal district court in the Central District of California to modify the Flores settlement agreement, which generally limits the period of time in which an alien minor may be detained by DHS to 20 days. On June 21, 2018, the Department of Justice filed a motion to modify the settlement agreement to permit the detention of alien minors and their accompanying parents or legal guardians together in family residential centers during their removal proceedings. While the President's executive order seeks to prevent families from being separated during the pendency of their removal proceedings, at present, the manner in which the order will be interpreted and applied remains unclear. In particular, as of the date of this update, there reportedly is some confusion over whether the executive order means that, in the event that an alien minor in DHS custody is released from detention, the minor's parents must necessarily be released as well to ensure family unity."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Smith, Hillel R.
2018-06-25
-
Justice Kennedy Retires: Initial Considerations for Congress [June 28, 2018]
From the Document: "On June 27, 2018, hours after the Supreme Court released its final opinions for the term, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, announced that, effective July 31, 2018, he would retire from active service as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Nominated to replace Justice Lewis Powell in 1987, Justice Kennedy has served on the Court for more than three decades. Like his predecessor, Justice Kennedy has often been referred to as the Court's 'swing' vote. Justice Kennedy has pushed back against such a moniker, declaring in a 2015 speech that '[t]he cases swing, I don't.' But his central role on the Court in recent decades, and in particular in the Roberts Court era, cannot be overstated. Since the Roberts Court began in 2005, Justice Kennedy has been the justice who cast his votes most often with the majority of the Court in all but three terms. (Chief Justice Roberts edged out Justice Kennedy in the most recent term and the October 2007 term, while Justice Breyer was the most frequent justice in the majority during the October 2014 term). This Sidebar highlights various areas of law in which Justice Kennedy--either by authoring or joining a Supreme Court opinion--proved consequential to the trajectory of Supreme Court jurisprudence. In so doing, this post provides a broad overview of key legal issues Congress (and, more specifically the Senate, through its advice and consent role) may wish to consider as it reflects on Justice Kennedy's jurisprudence and how his eventual successor might shape the future of the Court, Congress, and the nation as a whole."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Nolan, Andrew; Garcia, Michael John
2018-06-28
-
Organizing Executive Branch Agencies: Who Makes the Call? [June 27, 2018]
"In a series of executive orders, directives, and publicly released recommendations, the Trump Administration has proposed reorganizing the executive branch. The reorganization proposals range from restructuring entities within an existing agency, to moving entities from one existing agency to another, to consolidating existing agencies into newly created departments, to privatizing certain government agencies. The Administration has indicated that it considers some of these proposals to be within its existing authority, while others may require new legislation authorizing such action. These orders and proposals have prompted a recurring question concerning the composition of the federal government: who decides how to organize agencies and departments within the executive branch? The ultimate answer to this question is Congress. Legislative enactments create executive agencies and delegate authority to those entities to carry out various statutory functions and duties. But executive branch agencies also typically enjoy some discretion in determining how best to structure themselves to carry out their statutory responsibilities, provided that reorganization does not conflict with their governing statutes or legislative funding restrictions."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cole, Jared P.
2018-06-27
-
UPDATE: Supreme Court Takes Fourth Amendment Case about Cell Phone Location Data [June 26, 2018]
"Update: On June 22, 2018, the Supreme Court held in a 5-to-4 decision in Carpenter v. United States that government acquisition of historical cell site location information (CSLI) constitutes a Fourth Amendment search. The Court further held that the government needs a warrant supported by probable cause--not merely a court order under the Stored Communications Act--to acquire historical CSLI in most circumstances. The majority opinion, authored by Chief Justice Roberts and joined by Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, concluded that 'an individual maintains a legitimate expectation of privacy in the record of his physical movements as captured through CSLI.' A central issue in the case concerned the viability of the Court's third-party doctrine, which generally recognizes that no reasonable expectation of privacy exists as to information that a person discloses voluntarily to third parties. The majority in Carpenter reasoned that the third-party doctrine, which developed in cases holding that individuals have no reasonable expectation of privacy in the telephone numbers that they dial or in financial records held by their banks, does not apply to CSLI, because '[t]here is a world of difference between the limited types of personal information addressed in [those cases] and the exhaustive chronicle of location information casually collected by wireless carriers today.' The Court recognized, however, that certain exceptions to the warrant requirement, including the exception for ongoing emergencies, remain in place and will likely allow law enforcement to obtain CSLI without a warrant in some circumstances."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Harrington, Ben
2018-06-26
-
Supreme Court Drives Home Its Concern for Privacy in Collins v. Virginia [June 26, 2018]
"Facing a clash between two well-established Fourth Amendment doctrines--the primacy of the home in Fourth Amendment case law versus the 'automobile exception' to the Amendment's warrant requirement --the Supreme Court in Collins v. Virginia ultimately came down on the side of protecting privacy within the home and its adjoining property. In so doing, the Court clarified the scope of the automobile exception, holding that the exception does not provide an independent basis for police to enter an individual's home or its curtilage without a warrant to search a vehicle on the property. This Sidebar discusses the Collins decision and its potential implications for Fourth Amendment law."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hanna, Jillian C.
2018-06-26
-
Supreme Court Nomination: CRS Products [July 2, 2018]
"On June 27, 2018, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court, effective July 31, 2018, ending a thirty-year tenure on the Court."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Nolan, Andrew
2018-07-02
-
Media Consolidation: United States v. AT&T and Implications for Future Transactions [June 29, 2018]
"On June 12, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (D.C. District Court) ruled that the proposed merger of AT&T, Inc. (AT&T) with Time Warner Inc. (Time Warner) could proceed without conditions, after one of the most closely watched antitrust trials in recent memory. The companies announced their intent to merge in October 2016. After examining the transaction for over a year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) challenged the proposed merger in November of 2017, arguing that consolidation of AT&T, a communications and satellite television provider, with Time Warner, a programming aggregator, would substantially lessen competition in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. § 18). The court, after conducting a six-week trial examining the evidence, held that the government had not met its burden of proof under Section 7. The AT&T/Time Warner merger closed on June 14, 2018."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Ruane, Kathleen Ann
2018-06-29
-
Partisan Gerrymandering: Supreme Court Provides Guidance on Standing and Maintains Legal Status Quo [July 2, 2018]
"In a redistricting case that some predicted could have resulted in a 'blockbuster' ruling, Gill v. Whitford, the Supreme Court issued a more limited, yet still consequential decision. On June 18, 2018 the Supreme Court ruled that in order to establish standing to sue upon a claim of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering on the basis of vote dilution, challengers must allege injuries to their interests as voters in individual districts. (Vote dilution arises when district boundaries devalue one citizen's vote as compared to others and is accomplished by 'packing' certain voters into a few districts, so that they win elections by large margins, and 'cracking' certain voters among several districts, so that they fail to achieve a voting majority.) Because the challengers in Gill alleged statewide harm to voters of a particular political party--that is, to voters throughout the state who support the Democratic Party--without establishing proof of injury to specific voters within a particular district, the Supreme Court ruled that they failed to establish standing, and in an atypical move, remanded the case to the district court for reargument. On the same day the Court issued Gill, the Court also decided Benisek v. Lamone, holding that a district court did not abuse its discretion by denying a preliminary injunction to challengers claiming that a Maryland congressional district was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whitaker, L. Paige
2018-07-02
-
Equal Rights Amendment: Close to Adoption? [July 2, 2018]
"Illinois' recent ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution has revived questions about the potential for the amendment to be adopted. First presented to the states in 1972, the ERA provides that '[e]quality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.' 37 states have now ratified the ERA, and some supporters of the amendment maintain that ratification by just one additional state could result in its adoption. After ratification by one more state, the ERA will have been ratified by three-fourths of the states, as required by Article V of the Constitution. Whether the ERA can be so adopted, however, is not entirely certain. Questions concerning the expiration of Congress's original ratification deadline without approval by three-fourths of the states, and the rescission of ratifications by five states between 1973 and 1978, would likely have to be addressed before the ERA would be formally adopted."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shimabukuro, Jon O.
2018-07-02
-
U.S. Research and Development Funding and Performance: Fact Sheet [June 29, 2018]
"Research and development (R&D) in the United States is funded and performed by a number of sectors--including the federal government, state governments, businesses, academia, and nonprofit organizations--for a variety of purposes. This fact sheet begins by providing a profile of the U.S. R&D enterprise, including historical trends and current funding by sector and by whether the R&D is basic research, applied research, or development. The final section of this fact sheet includes data on R&D performance by sector."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sargent, John F., Jr.
2018-06-29
-
When Can You Be Convicted of a Crime That Is Not a Crime? [June 29, 2018]
"A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Tenth Circuit) recently upheld the murder conviction of a defendant who the court conceded had been 'convicted of a crime that is not a crime.' The case, United States v. Melgar-Cabrera, is the product of extradition and an underappreciated landmark Supreme Court decision, Apprendi v. New Jersey. Melgar-Cabrera began when the defendant and two cohorts robbed a Denny's restaurant and killed a waitress. They were charged with three offenses: (1) robbery in violation of the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951; (2) using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c); and (3) murder committed during the Section 924(c) firearms offense, 18 U.S.C. § 924(j). Before he could be tried, the defendant fled to El Salvador. Salvadoran authorities agreed to his extradition, but only under the Hobbs Act and the murder charges. They denied extradition on the Section 924(c) firearms charge."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Doyle, Charles
2018-06-29
-
Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations [June 27, 2018]
"Venezuela remains in a deep political crisis under the authoritarian rule of President Nicolás Maduro of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). On May 20, 2018, Maduro defeated Henri Falcón, a former governor, in a presidential election boycotted by the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) of opposition parties and dismissed by the United States, the European Union, and 18 Western Hemisphere countries as illegitimate. Maduro, who was narrowly elected in 2013 after the death of President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013), is unpopular. Nevertheless, he has used the courts, security forces, and electoral council to repress the opposition."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Seelke, Clare Ribando; Nelson, Rebecca M.; Brown, Phillip (Specialist in Energy Policy) . . .
2018-06-27
-
Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress [July 3, 2018]
"This report provides background information and discusses potential issues for Congress regarding the Navy's FFG(X) program, a program to procure a new class of 20 guided-missile frigates (FFGs). The Navy wants to procure the first FFG(X) in FY2020. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget requests $134.8 million in research and development funding for the program. The FFG(X) program presents several potential oversight issues for Congress. Congress's decisions on the program could affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the shipbuilding industrial base. This report focuses on the FFG(X) program. A related Navy shipbuilding program, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, is covered in a separate CRS report. Other CRS reports discuss the strategic context within which the FFG(X) program and other Navy acquisition programs may be considered."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2018-07-03
-
FEMA and SBA Disaster Assistance for Individuals and Households: Application Process, Determinations, and Appeals [June 22, 2018]
"Individuals and households that suffer uninsured or underinsured losses under a major disaster declaration typically apply for Individual Assistance (IA), administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and may also apply for disaster loans, administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). This report opens with an overview of the two programs and a discussion about how declarations are used to put them into effect. The report also discusses their respective application processes and eligibility criteria used by FEMA and SBA to make grant and loan determinations, respectively. The report then describes the appeals process before concluding with policy observations and considerations. FEMA IA and the SBA Disaster Loan Program are interlaced to a certain degree. Functionally, SBA and FEMA have a computer matching agreement (CMA) to share real-time data on assistance provided to applicants. SBA and FEMA use the interface between their systems to identify potential duplication of benefits (DOB) and determine loan and grant eligibility. From an administrative perspective, eligibility and assistance from one source can impact eligibility and assistance from the other source."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lindsay, Bruce R.; Reese, Shawn
2018-06-22
-
Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 1965-2018 [June 29, 2018]
"The farm bill provides an opportunity for Congress to address agricultural and food issues comprehensively about every five years. Over time, farm bills have tended to become more complicated and politically sensitive. As a result, the timeline for reauthorization has become less certain, and in general recent farm bills have taken longer to enact than in previous decades. Recent farm bills, beginning with the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246), have been subject to various developments that have delayed enactment, such as insufficient votes to pass the House floor, presidential vetoes, and short-term extensions. The 2014 farm bill took more than 21 months from introduction to enactment and spanned the 112th and 113th Congresses. The House rejected a bill in 2013 and then passed separate farm and nutrition assistance components before procedurally recombining them for conference with the Senate. Somewhat similarly, the 2008 farm bill took more than a year to enact and was complicated by revenue provisions from another committee of jurisdiction, temporary extensions, and vetoes."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Monke, Jim
2018-06-29
-
Private Flood Insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program [July 2, 2018]
"Congress is currently considering reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as the 2018 hurricane season begins, while still dealing with the financial impact of the 2017 hurricane season. Total losses (insured and uninsured) for the 2017 hurricane season are estimated at a record $270.9 billion, with losses for Hurricane Harvey estimated at $126.3 billion, Hurricane Maria at $90.9 billion, and Hurricane Irma at $50.5 billion. FEMA projects total NFIP claims for the three hurricanes at more than $9.7 billion. The NFIP is designed to borrow money from the Treasury to cover claims for extreme events; however, the 2017 losses would have pushed the program over its authorized borrowing limit. Rather than increase the borrowing limit, Congress canceled $16 billion of NFIP debt to allow the program to pay claims."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Horn, Diane P.; Webel, Baird
2018-07-02
-
Trade Deficits and U.S. Trade Policy [June 28, 2018]
"The economic effects of the U.S. trade deficit have been a topic of long-standing congressional interest. The U.S. Constitution grants authority to Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations and to lay and collect duties, and Congress exercises this authority in numerous ways. These include oversight of trade policy and consideration of legislation to implement trade agreements and to authorize trade programs. In some cases, Congress has delegated certain authorities over trade policy to the Executive Branch: for example, to facilitate trade negotiations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jackson, James K., 1949-
2018-06-28
