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| Date April 16, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10122 |
Title
Legal Sidebari No Overtime for Auto Service Advisors after Court s Fair Reading of the FLSA April 16, 2018 The Supreme Court concluded recently that car dealership employees who discuss service options with customers are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act s (FLSA) overtime pay requirement. In Encino Motorcars, LLC v. Navarro, the Court determined that these so-called service advisors fell ...
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| Date April 13, 2018 |
Report No. R44890 |
Title
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2018 Budget and Appropriations Susan B. Epstein Specialist in Foreign Policy Marian L. Lawson Specialist in Foreign Assistance Policy Cory R. Gill Analyst in Foreign Affairs April 13, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R44890 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2018 Budget Summary ...
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| Date April 13, 2018 |
Report No. R45163 |
Title
Regulatory Reform 10 Years After the Financial Crisis: Dodd-Frank and Securities Law Nicole Vanatko Legislative Attorney April 13, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R45163 Dodd-Frank and Securities Law Summary From 2007-2009, the United States experienced what many commentators believe was the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In the wake of the crisis, ...
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| Date April 13, 2018 |
Report No. RL33404 |
Title
Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Legal Framework Adam Vann Legislative Attorney April 13, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL33404 Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Legal Framework Summary The development of offshore oil, gas, and other mineral resources in the United States is impacted by a number of interrelated legal regimes, including international, federal, and state ...
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| Date April 12, 2018 |
Report No. R42789 |
Title
Softwood Lumber Imports from Canada: Current Issues Katie Hoover Specialist in Natural Resources Policy Ian F. Fergusson Specialist in International Trade and Finance April 12, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R42789 Softwood Lumber Imports from Canada: Current Issues Summary Softwood lumber imports from Canada have been a persistent concern for Congress for decades. Canada ...
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| Date April 12, 2018 |
Report No. R45162 |
Title
Regulatory Reform 10 Years After the Financial Crisis: Systemic Risk Regulation of Non-Bank Financial Institutions Jay B. Sykes Legislative Attorney April 12, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R45162 Systemic Risk Regulation of Non-Bank Financial Institutions Summary When large, interconnected financial institutions become distressed, policymakers have historically faced a ...
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| Date April 12, 2018 |
Report No. R44781 |
Title
U.S. Senate Vacancies: Contemporary Developments and Perspectives Thomas H. Neale Specialist in American National Government April 12, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R44781 Filling U.S. Senate Vacancies: Perspectives and Contemporary Developments Summary United States Senators serve a term of six years. Vacancies occur when an incumbent Senator leaves office prematurely for ...
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| Date April 11, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10103 |
Title
Legal Sidebari ATF s Ability to Regulate Bump Stocks Sarah Herman Peck Legislative Attorney April 11, 2018 UPDATE: Following the publication of this Sidebar, the Justice Department s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) published a notice of proposed rulemaking declaring its intention to clarify, through regulation, that bump fire stocks, slide-fire devices, and devices with ...
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| Date April 11, 2018 |
Report No. R45159 |
Title
Class Action Lawsuits: A Legal Overview for the 115th Congress Kevin M. Lewis Legislative Attorney Wilson C. Freeman Legislative Attorney April 11, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R45159 Class Action Lawsuits: A Legal Overview for the 115th Congress Summary A class action is a procedure by which a large group of entities (known as a class ) may challenge a defendant s ...
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| Date April 10, 2018 |
Report No. R45158 |
Title
An Overview of Discretionary Reprieves from Removal: Deferred Action, DACA, TPS, and Others Ben Harrington Legislative Attorney April 10, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R45158 An Overview of Discretionary Reprieves from Removal Summary Since at least the 1970s, immigration authorities in the United States have sometimes exercised their discretion to grant temporary ...
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| Date April 10, 2018 |
Report No. IN10884 |
Title
INSIGHTi Balanced Budget Amendments April 10, 2018 A balanced budget amendment (BBA) proposes to amend the U.S. Constitution to require that outlays shall not exceed revenues. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote of approval in both houses of Congress as well as ratification by three-fourths of the states. Common Components of BBAs Proposed BBAs have historically included additional ...
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| Date April 10, 2018 |
Report No. R45156 |
Title
The Smart Grid: Status and Outlook Richard J. Campbell Specialist in Energy Policy April 10, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R45156 The Smart Grid: Status and Outlook Summary The electrical grid in the United States comprises all of the power plants generating electricity, together with the transmission and distribution lines and systems that bring power to end-use ...
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| Date April 10, 2018 |
Report No. R45157 |
Title
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and an FY2019 Budget Resolution Megan S. Lynch Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process April 10, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R45157 The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and an FY2019 Budget Resolution Summary The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA 2018, P.L. 115-123), enacted February 9, 2018, amended the statutory discretionary ...
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| Date April 10, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10117 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Mississippi Court Halts Enforcement of New Abortion Law Jon O. Shimabukuro Legislative Attorney April 10, 2018 A federal district court in Mississippi has halted the enforcement of a new state law that prohibits the performance of an abortion once the gestational age of the fetus is greater than 15 weeks. While other states have enacted similar abortion restrictions, Mississippi is ...
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| Date April 10, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10118 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Tort and Litigation Reform in the 115th Congress April 10, 2018 Debates over tort reform that is, whether (and to what extent) legislatures should limit lawsuits concerning negligence, personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, and other similar causes of action have endured for decades. Many commentators and policymakers have advocated both substantive changes to the ...
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| Date April 10, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10116 |
Title
Legal Sidebari When the City Goes Broke: Pensions, Retirees, and Municipal Bankruptcies April 10, 2018 In recent years, a significant number of cities, towns, and other municipalities in the United States have found themselves increasingly unable to pay their debts. In order to offer municipalities relief from many types of debts they cannot repay, Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code authorizes ...
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| Date April 10, 2018 |
Report No. IF10729 |
Title
Updated April 10, 2018 Internal Revenue Service Budget, FY2018 Overview The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collects the vast share of the revenue needed to fund the federal government and enforces federal tax laws. In FY2017, the IRS processed 245.4 million returns and related documents for all federal taxes and collected $3.4 trillion in gross revenue. Appropriations account for nearly all of the ...
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| Date April 9, 2018 |
Report No. R42089 |
Title
Residential Energy Tax Credits: Overview and Analysis Margot L. Crandall-Hollick Specialist in Public Finance Molly F. Sherlock Specialist in Public Finance April 9, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R42089 Residential Energy Tax Credits: Overview and Analysis Summary Currently, on their 2017 federal income tax return, taxpayers may be able to claim two tax credits for ...
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| Date April 9, 2018 |
Report No. IN10882 |
Title
INSIGHTi Business Investment Spending Slowdown April 9, 2018 Business capital investment spending is composed of private spending on nonresidential structures (e.g., factories), equipment (e.g., machinery), and intellectual property products (e.g., software). Business investment is a key determinant of economic growth. When businesses add to the capital stock, the value of goods and services (i.e. ...
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| Date April 9, 2018 |
Report No. R45155 |
Title
Sexual Harassment and Title VII: Selected Legal Issues Christine J. Back Legislative Attorney Wilson C. Freeman Legislative Attorney April 9, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R45155 Sexual Harassment and Title VII: Selected Legal Issues Summary Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) generally prohibits discrimination in the workplace, but does not contain an ...
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| Date April 9, 2018 |
Report No. IF10757 |
Title
Updated April 9, 2018 The 2017 Tax Law (P.L. 115-97) and Investment in Innovation Technological innovation refers to the often lengthy, uncertain, and convoluted process of bringing new technologies to the marketplace and their adoption by many consumers and companies. Numerous studies have shown that innovation serves as the primary engine of long-term growth in real income per person, mainly by ...
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| Date April 6, 2018 |
Report No. R4972 |
Title
Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress Ronald O'Rourke Specialist in Naval Affairs April 6, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R44972 Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress Summary The Navy in 2017 initiated a new program, called the FFG(X) program, to build a class of 20 guided-missile frigates (FFGs). The Navy wants to ...
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| Date April 6, 2018 |
Report No. IN10881 |
Title
INSIGHTi Cameroon s Anglophone Crisis: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress April 6, 2018 Tensions have grown in western Cameroon since the government s suppression of a protest movement led by members of the country s minority Anglophone community in late 2016. In 2017, the situation escalated as one Anglophone faction symbolically declared the secession of the region and some Anglophone ...
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| Date April 6, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10114 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Commerce Department Announces Citizenship Question on 2020 Census and Lawsuits Filed L. Paige Whitaker Legislative Attorney April 6, 2018 On March 26, 2018, the Commerce Department, which houses the U.S. Census Bureau, announced that the 2020 decennial census questionnaire will include a citizenship question. Thereafter, the State of California and a coalition of states and cities ...
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| Date April 5, 2018 |
Report No. IF10868 |
Title
April 5, 2018 FY2018 Defense Appropriations Act: An Overview The FY2018 defense appropriations bill, Division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (H.R. 1625; P.L. 115-141), appropriates $647 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD). This amounts to an increase of $61 billion (about 10%) over the enacted FY2017 level and an increase of $24 billion over the President s FY2018 budget ...
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| Date April 5, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10052 |
Title
Legal Sidebari UPDATE: The End of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program: Some Immediate Takeaways Updated April 5, 2018 UPDATE: Following the publication of this Sidebar, additional developments have arisen that affect the Trump Administration s planned phase-out of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of ...
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| Date April 5, 2018 |
Report No. IF10869 |
Title
April 5, 2018 Reconsidering the Strategic Petroleum Reserve The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was authorized by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) of 1975 (P.L. 94-163). EPCA, passed in the wake of the oil embargo of 1973-1974, set out U.S. energy policy in the areas of production, consumption, and reserve stocks. In 2018, the U.S. position in world markets is significantly ...
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| Date April 4, 2018 |
Report No. IN10879 |
Title
INSIGHTi Data, Social Media, and Users: Can We All Get Along? April 4, 2018 Introduction In March 2018, media reported that voter-profiling company Cambridge Analytica had exceeded Facebook s data use policies by collecting data on millions of Facebook users. Cambridge Analytica did this by working with a researcher to gain access to the data, so the company itself was not the entity seeking ...
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| Date April 4, 2018 |
Report No. IN10880 |
Title
INSIGHTi China s Retaliatory Tariffs on Selected U.S. Agricultural Products April 4, 2018 On April 2, 2018, the Chinese government implemented retaliatory tariffs on 128 product lines, including 93 U.S. agricultural products, in response to recent U.S. Section 232 tariff actions on certain imports of steel and aluminum products. China is the second largest market for U.S. agricultural exports by ...
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| Date April 4, 2018 |
Report No. IF10866 |
Title
April 4, 2018 The President s FY2019 Military Construction Budget Request On February 12, 2018, President Trump submitted his fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget request to Congress. In developing the annual budget request, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) consolidates the military construction projects lists from the military departments and various defense agencies into a single submission, ...
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| Date April 3, 2018 |
Report No. IN10680 |
Title
Employee Ownership of Registration-Exempt Company Securities: Proposals to Reform Required Corporate Disclosures (Section 507 of S. 2155, S. 488, H.R. 1343, and Section 406 of H.R. 10) Updated April 3, 2018 Introduction A major statutory mission of the SEC is investor protection, which involves requiring companies that offer securities to the public to disclose meaningful financial and other ...
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| Date April 3, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10112 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Can Aliens in Immigration Proceedings Be Detained Indefinitely? High Court Rules on Statutory, but not Constitutional Authority Updated April 3, 2018 Recently, the Supreme Court in Jennings v. Rodriguez interpreted provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as authorizing the potentially indefinite detention of certain categories of aliens, without bond, who are ...
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| Date April 3, 2018 |
Report No. IF10865 |
Title
April 3, 2018 Universal Basic Income Proposals for the United States Overview Conceptually, a universal basic income (UBI) program provides a modest cash income at regular intervals (e.g., each month or year) to all individuals meeting minimal eligibility criteria. A UBI can serve as a social insurance program, a method for distributing income generated by a government-owned asset (e.g., the ...
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| Date April 2, 2018 |
Report No. IN10878 |
Title
INSIGHTi Regulating the U.S. Campaign Environment: Politics and Policy Updated April 2, 2018 Introduction Members of Congress run campaigns as candidates and regulate them as policymakers. Recent coverage of Cambridge Analytica voter-targeting using Facebook data is one of the latest examples of the connection between campaign conduct and public policy. Reports suggest that this case involves ...
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| Date April 2, 2018 |
Report No. IF10671 |
Title
Updated April 2, 2018 Army Corps of Engineers: FY2018 Appropriations Congress generally funds the civil works activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) in Title I of an annual Energy and Water Development appropriations act. These activities consist primarily of planning and constructing water resource projects and maintaining federal infrastructure operated by the Corps (e.g., ...
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| Date April 2, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10110 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Supreme Court Considering Second Partisan Gerrymandering Case This Term L. Paige Whitaker Legislative Attorney April 2, 2018 For a second time during the current term, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a claim of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. On March 28, 2018, the Court heard oral argument in Benisek v. Lamone, involving a challenge to a Maryland congressional ...
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| Date April 2, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10111 |
Title
Legal Sidebari District Court Decision May Help Pave the Way for Trump Administration s Border Wall Plans Adam Vann Legislative Attorney April 2, 2018 The construction of potentially hundreds of miles of fencing and other barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border is a key pillar of the Trump Administration s border security strategy. Completing this objective would likely require the Secretary of the ...
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| Date March 30, 2018 |
Report No. IN10681 |
Title
Venture Capital Funds: Proposals to Expand Investor Thresholds Required for Registration (Section 504 of S. 2155, Section 471 of H.R. 10, H.R. 1219, S. 444, and Section 914 of H.R. 3280) Updated March 30, 2018 Introduction To help restore confidence in the securities markets after the stock market crash of 1929, Congress passed the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which authorized the creation of ...
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| Date March 30, 2018 |
Report No. R44925 |
Title
Recently Expired Individual Tax Provisions ( Tax Extenders ): In Brief Molly F. Sherlock, Coordinator Specialist in Public Finance Mark P. Keightley Specialist in Economics Jane G. Gravelle Senior Specialist in Economic Policy Grant A. Driessen Analyst in Public Finance March 30, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R44925 Recently Expired Individual Tax Provisions ( Tax ...
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| Date March 30, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10115 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Federal Right-to-Try Legislation: Legal Considerations March 30, 2018 Congress has been engaged in a vigorous debate over how patients with life-threatening conditions may access investigational therapies that have not been approved under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). At the heart of this debate is the balance between permitting sufficient access to ...
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| Date March 30, 2018 |
Report No. IF10862 |
Title
March 30, 2018 Securities Exchanges: Regulation and Reform Proposals (Section 501 of S. 2155, Section 496 of H.R. 10, and H.R. 4546) Introduction Overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the federal securities laws are broadly aimed at (1) investor protection; (2) maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and (3) facilitating capital formation. They do so by providing ...
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| Date March 29, 2018 |
Report No. R44930 |
Title
Business Tax Provisions that Expired in 2017 ( Tax Extenders ) Molly F. Sherlock, Coordinator Specialist in Public Finance Jane G. Gravelle Senior Specialist in Economic Policy Sean Lowry Analyst in Public Finance Donald J. Marples Specialist in Public Finance March 29, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R44930 Business Tax Provisions that Expired in 2017 ( Tax Extenders ) ...
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| Date March 29, 2018 |
Report No. IN10877 |
Title
INSIGHTi S. 2155 and Enhanced Regulation for Large Banks March 29, 2018 Title I of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act (12 U.S.C. Ch. 53.) imposed a number of enhanced prudential regulatory requirements for bank holding companies and foreign banks operating in the United States with more than $10 billion or $50 billion in assets, depending on the requirements. These requirements were primarily intended to ...
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| Date March 29, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10108 |
Title
Legal Sidebar Tricks of the Trade: Section 301 Investigation of Chinese Intellectual Property Practices Concludes (Part I) Updated March 29, 2018 In the latest in a series of international trade-related investigations conducted by the Trump Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative ( USTR ) recently concluded its investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the ...
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| Date March 29, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10109 |
Title
Legal Sidebar Tricks of the Trade: Section 301 Investigation of Chinese Intellectual Property Practices Concludes (Part II) Caitlain Devereaux Lewis Legislative Attorney March 29, 2018 As noted in Part I of this two-part Sidebar, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative ( USTR ) recently concluded its investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the Section 301 Investigation ) to ...
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| Date March 29, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10107 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Clarifying Gibberish : Supreme Court Holds That State Courts Can Hear Securities Act Lawsuits March 29, 2018 On March 20, in a case watched closely by the securities bar, the Supreme Court addressed the implications of the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1998 (SLUSA) a statute that Justices Alito and Gorsuch described during oral argument as gibberish. In Cyan, Inc. ...
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| Date March 28, 2018 |
Report No. IF10692 |
Title
Updated March 28, 2018 Bureau of Reclamation: FY2018 Appropriations Overview Most of the large dams and water diversion structures in the West were built by, or with the assistance of, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior. Whereas the Army Corps of Engineers built hundreds of flood control and navigation projects, Reclamation s mission was to develop ...
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| Date March 27, 2018 |
Report No. R41083 |
Title
House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies Michael L. Koempel Senior Specialist in American National Government Judy Schneider Specialist on the Congress March 27, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R41083 House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies Summary A principal responsibility of House committees is to conduct ...
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| Date March 27, 2018 |
Report No. IF10856 |
Title
March 27, 2018 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Work Requirements Introduction The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant helps states fund public assistance programs for needy families with children, usually headed by a single mother. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law, with a goal of ending dependence on assistance through work and job preparation. This ...
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| Date March 27, 2018 |
Report No. LSB10106 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Whose Line is it Anyway: Could Congress Give the President a Line-Item Veto? March 27, 2018 In announcing his intention to sign H.R. 1625, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, President Trump, noting his concerns over the fiscal size of the bill, called on Congress to provide him with a lineitem veto for all government spending bills. Two days later, the Secretary of the ...
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