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| Date Nov. 28, 2007 |
Report No. RS22524 |
Title
Order Code RS22524 Updated November 28, 2007 Kenya: Current Conditions and the Challenges Ahead Ted Dagne Specialist in African Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Monty Rushmoore McGee Research Fellow Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary Kenya, a nation of about 36.9 million people, has been an important ally of the United States for decades. Kenya moved from a ...
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| Date Nov. 27, 2007 |
Report No. RL34172 |
Title
Order Code RL34172 Operation Iraqi Freedom and Detainee Issues: Major Votes from the 110th Congress Updated November 27, 2007 Kim Walker Klarman and Lisa Mages Information Research Specialists Knowledge Services Group Pat Towell Specialist in U.S. Defense Budget Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Operation Iraqi Freedom and Detainee Issues: Major Votes from the 110th Congress Summary ...
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| Date Nov. 27, 2007 |
Report No. RS22576 |
Title
Order Code RS22576 Updated November 27, 2007 Pandemic Influenza: Appropriations for Public Health Preparedness and Response Sarah A. Lister Specialist in Public Health and Epidemiology Domestic Social Policy Division Summary The spread of H5N1 avian influenza ( flu ), and the human deaths it has caused, raise concern that the virus could morph and cause a global human pandemic. Congress has ...
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| Date Nov. 26, 2007 |
Report No. 96-228 |
Title
Order Code 96-228 Davis-Bacon: Employment of Helpers on Federal Contract Construction Updated November 26, 2007 William G. Whittaker Specialist in Labor Economics Domestic Social Policy Division Davis-Bacon: Employment of Helpers on Federal Contract Construction Summary The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, as amended, requires that not less than the locally prevailing wage (not necessarily the union rate) ...
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| Date Nov. 26, 2007 |
Report No. RL34260 |
Title
Order Code RL34260 Climate Change: Issues Underlying Negotiations at the Bali Conference of Parties November 26, 2007 Susan R. Fletcher Specialist in International Environmental Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Larry Parker and Jane A. Leggett Specialists in Energy and Environmental Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Climate Change: Issues Underlying Negotiations at ...
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| Date Nov. 26, 2007 |
Report No. RL33426 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Superfund is the federal government s principal program for cleaning up the nation s contaminated waste sites and protecting public health and the environment from releases of hazardous substances. Enacted into law as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA, P.L. 96-510), the program became known as ...
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| Date Nov. 26, 2007 |
Report No. RL34192 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 33.2 million people are living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The U.N. organization believes that in 2007, some 2.5 million people will contract HIV and it will kill about 2.1 million. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region, ...
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| Date Nov. 26, 2007 |
Report No. RS22535 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress The Federal Employee Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act of 2004 was enacted on December 23, 2004 (P.L. 108-496), directing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a supplemental dental and vision benefits program. OPM created the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), with coverage first available on ...
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| Date Nov. 23, 2007 |
Report No. RS22281 |
Title
Order Code RS22281 Updated November 23, 2007 General Services Administration Federal Facilities Affected by Hurricane Katrina Clay H. Wellborn Specialist in American National Government Government and Finance Division Summary Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, causing widespread flooding and significant infrastructure damage to 83 federal facilities in Louisiana, ...
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| Date Nov. 23, 2007 |
Report No. RS22121 |
Title
Order Code RS22121 Updated November 23, 2007 The Interagency Security Committee and Security Standards for Federal Buildings Stephanie Smith Analyst in American National Government Government and Finance Division Summary The federal government owns or leases 3.7 billion square feet of office space, which may be vulnerable to acts of terrorism and other forms of violence. The Interagency Security ...
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| Date Nov. 21, 2007 |
Report No. RL34257 |
Title
Order Code RL34257 Earned Value Management (EVM) as an Oversight Tool for Major Capital Investments November 21, 2007 Clinton T. Brass Analyst in Government Organization and Management Government and Finance Division Earned Value Management (EVM) as an Oversight Tool for Major Capital Investments Summary This report focuses on a technique earned value management (EVM) for overseeing the cost, ...
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| Date Nov. 20, 2007 |
Report No. RL33504 |
Title
Order Code RL33504 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Corps of Engineers Project Authorization Issues Updated November 20, 2007 Nicole T. Carter, Coordinator Resources, Science, and Industry Division H. Steven Hughes, Pervaze A. Sheikh, and Jeffrey A. Zinn Resources, Science, and Industry Division Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Corps of Engineers Project Authorization Issues Summary ...
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| Date Nov. 19, 2007 |
Report No. RS22755 |
Title
Order Code RS22755 Updated November 19, 2007 The Primary Residence Exception: Legislative Proposals in the 110th Congress to Amend Section 1322(b)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code David H. Carpenter Legislative Attorney American Law Division Summary The recent downturn in the housing market has likely played a role in the rise of late mortgage payments and foreclosures occurring across the country. Some ...
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| Date Nov. 15, 2007 |
Report No. RL34252 |
Title
Order Code RL34252 Child Welfare: Recently Enacted Changes in Federal Policy November 15, 2007 Emilie Stoltzfus Specialist in Social Policy Domestic Social Policy Division Child Welfare: Recently Enacted Changes in Federal Policy Summary This report summarizes changes enacted in federal child welfare policy during the 109th Congress. Most federal child welfare programs are authorized in Title IV-B ...
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| Date Nov. 15, 2007 |
Report No. RS22760 |
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Order Code RS22760 November 15, 2007 Electronic Personal Health Records Gina Marie Stevens Legislative Attorney American Law Division Summary The Administration, Congress, foundations, and the private sector have undertaken various initiatives to promote the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) as part of the national health information infrastructure. An electronic personal health record ...
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| Date Nov. 15, 2007 |
Report No. RL31608 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Congress is concerned with preventing economic recessions and mitigating the effects of recessions. Eight of the nine post-war recessions were accompanied by sharp increases in the price of oil. The last four recessions followed this pattern: the 1973-1975 recession followed the oil embargo; the double dip recession of 1980-1982 followed the second ...
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| Date Nov. 14, 2007 |
Report No. RL34250 |
Title
Order Code RL34250 Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) Drought: Federal Reservoir and Species Management November 14, 2007 Nicole T. Carter, Coordinator Resources, Science, and Industry Division M. Lynne Corn, Amy Abel, Stan Mark Kaplan, Eugene H. Buck, and Peter Folger Resources, Science, and Industry Division Cynthia Brougher and Kristina Alexander American Law Division Key Policy Staff ...
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| Date Nov. 14, 2007 |
Report No. RS22635 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress The Beck v. PACE International Union case concerned the decision by an employer in bankruptcy proceedings to terminate its pension plans. The employer, which was both plan sponsor and administrator, had the option of terminating the plans by buying annuities for plan participants and beneficiaries or by merging the plans with a multiemployer plan. ...
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| Date Nov. 14, 2007 |
Report No. RL32556 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Rule 12b-1 was adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1980 pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940 (ICA). The rule allows funds whose boards approve 12b-1 plans (structures) under the rule to draw from fund shareholders aggregate assets to market or advertise and distribute (sell) fund shares, something they had not been ...
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| Date Nov. 13, 2007 |
Report No. RL33968 |
Title
Order Code RL33968 Head Start Reauthorization: A Side-by-Side Comparison of House- and Senate-Passed Versions of H.R. 1429 and Current Law Updated November 13, 2007 Melinda Gish Specialist in Social Policy Domestic Social Policy Division Head Start Reauthorization: A Side-by-Side Comparison of House- and Senate-Passed Versions of H.R. 1429 and Current Law Summary Head Start, a federal program that ...
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| Date Nov. 13, 2007 |
Report No. 94-908 |
Title
Order Code 94-908 Davis-Bacon: The Act and the Literature Updated November 13, 2007 William G. Whittaker Specialist in Labor Economics Domestic Social Policy Division Davis-Bacon: The Act and the Literature Summary The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, as amended, requires that contractors engaging in certain federal contract construction pay workers on such projects not less than the locally prevailing ...
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| Date Nov. 9, 2007 |
Report No. RL34237 |
Title
Order Code RL34237 San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Updated November 9, 2007 Betsy A. Cody and Pervaze A. Sheikh, Coordinators, Eugene H. Buck, Nicole T. Carter, Peter Folger, Renee Johnson, Mary Tiemann, Harold F. Upton Resources, Science, and Industry Division Kristina Alexander American Law Division San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Summary Historically, Central California s San ...
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| Date Nov. 8, 2007 |
Report No. RS22734 |
Title
Order Code RS22734 Updated November 8, 2007 Food Safety: Oversight and Current Issues Geoffrey S. Becker Specialist in Agricultural Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary A series of widely publicized food safety problems, including concerns about adulterated pet food ingredients and farmed seafood from China, illnesses linked to E. coli O157:H7 on leafy produce from California ...
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| Date Nov. 8, 2007 |
Report No. RS22740 |
Title
Order Code RS22740 Updated November 8, 2007 Sexual Orientation Discrimination in Employment: Analysis of H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 Edward Chan-Young Liu Law Clerk American Law Division Summary H.R. 3685, passed by the House on November 7, 2007, would prohibit certain adverse employment actions taken against an individual because of that individual s actual or ...
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| Date Nov. 8, 2007 |
Report No. RS22550 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress The federal budget moved from a surplus of $128 billion in 2001 to a deficit of $413 billion in 2004. In 2007, the deficit equaled $163 billion. This report compares the actual budget balance from 2001 to 2007 to the projection made by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in January 2001 to determine what factors caused the budget to move from ...
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| Date Nov. 8, 2007 |
Report No. RL32815 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) System comprises 12 regional banks (the Banks) that form a collective government-sponsored enterprise (GSE). As a GSE, the Banks have special ties to the federal government that accord them agency status and lead investors in capital markets to infer that the government would step in to make good any failure in the ...
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| Date Nov. 7, 2007 |
Report No. RL34244 |
Title
Order Code RL34244 Would a Housing Crash Cause a Recession? November 7, 2007 Marc Labonte Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy Government and Finance Division Would a Housing Crash Cause a Recession? Summary After years of rapid appreciation, house prices barely rose in the second quarter of 2007, and many analysts expect price declines in many markets in the near future. There have already been ...
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| Date Nov. 7, 2007 |
Report No. RS21567 |
Title
Order Code RS21567 Updated November 7, 2007 Accounting and Management Problems at Freddie Mac Mark Jickling Specialist in Financial Economics Government and Finance Division Summary For most of 2003, Freddie Mac, one of the two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) that dominate the secondary market for home mortgages, was embroiled in a controversy over improper accounting methods. The company ...
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| Date Nov. 6, 2007 |
Report No. RL32182 |
Title
Order Code RL32182 Institutional Eligibility and the Higher Education Act: Legislative History of the 90/10 Rule and Its Current Status Updated November 6, 2007 Rebecca R. Skinner Specialist in Education Policy Domestic Social Policy Division Institutional Eligibility and the Higher Education Act: Legislative History of the 90/10 Rule and Its Current Status Summary Title IV of the Higher Education ...
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| Date Nov. 6, 2007 |
Report No. RL34242 |
Title
Order Code RL34242 Gender Identity Discrimination in Employment: Analysis of H.R. 3686 in the 110th Congress November 6, 2007 Edward Chan-Young Liu Law Clerk American Law Division Gender Identity Discrimination in Employment: Analysis of H.R. 3686 in the 110th Congress Summary H.R. 3686, a bill to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived gender identity, was ...
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| Date Nov. 6, 2007 |
Report No. RL34176 |
Title
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Congress has long taken a leadership role in establishing and sustaining offices of inspector general (OIGs), which now exist in more than 60 federal departments and agencies. This effort began with Congress s initiation of the first contemporary statutory inspectors general (IGs) in 1976; it has continued with passage of the broadly encompassing ...
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| Date Nov. 2, 2007 |
Report No. RL34025 |
Title
Order Code RL34025 Terrorism Risk Insurance: Issue Analysis and Legislation Updated November 2, 2007 Baird Webel Analyst in Economics Government and Finance Division Terrorism Risk Insurance: Issue Analysis and Legislation Summary Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, insurance protecting against property losses that might occur in future attacks became costly or unavailable for many ...
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| Date Nov. 2, 2007 |
Report No. RS22693 |
Title
Order Code RS22693 Updated November 2, 2007 Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension in the 2007 Farm Bill Jean M. Rawson Specialist in Agriculture Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary Congress is currently considering a new multi-year farm bill to govern U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research programs. The Administration, the land grant university system, and a ...
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| Date Nov. 2, 2007 |
Report No. RS22751 |
Title
Order Code RS22751 November 2, 2007 The Central African Republic Ted Dagne Specialist in African Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary In March 2003, a rebellion led by former Army Chief of Staff Francois Bozize ousted President Ange Patasse from power. In 2005, the Bozize government organized presidential and legislative elections. In May 2005, Bozize defeated former Prime ...
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| Date Nov. 1, 2007 |
Report No. RL34230 |
Title
Order Code RL34230 National Strategy for Combating Terrorism: Background and Issues for Congress November 1, 2007 Raphael F. Perl Specialist in International Crime and Terrorism Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division National Strategy for Combating Terrorism: Background and Issues for Congress Summary On September 5, 2006, the White House released the 2006 National Strategy for Combating ...
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| Date Nov. 1, 2007 |
Report No. RS22218 |
Title
Order Code RS22218 Updated November 1, 2007 Spectrum Use and the Transition to Digital TV Linda K. Moore Analyst in Telecommunications Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Summary The United States, like most of the world, is moving to replace current television technology with a new, technically superior format generally referred to as digital television (DTV). As part of this transition, ...
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| Date Oct. 31, 2007 |
Report No. RL32333 |
Title
Order Code RL32333 Steel: Price and Policy Issues Updated October 31, 2007 Stephen Cooney Specialist in Industrial Organization and Business Resources, Science, and Industry Division Steel: Price and Policy Issues Summary The rapid growth of steel production and demand in China is widely considered as a major cause of continued high steel prices and prices of steelmaking inputs. Steel companies ...
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| Date Oct. 31, 2007 |
Report No. RL34235 |
Title
Order Code RL34235 Air Pollution as a Commodity: Regulation of the Sulfur Dioxide Allowance Market October 31, 2007 Larry Parker Specialist in Energy and Environmental Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Mark Jickling Specialist in Financial Economics Government and Finance Division Air Pollution as a Commodity: Regulation of the Sulfur Dioxide Allowance Market Summary A number of ...
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| Date Oct. 31, 2007 |
Report No. RS21890 |
Title
Order Code RS21890 Updated October 31, 2007 The U.N. Law of the Sea Convention and the United States: Developments Since October 2003 Marjorie Ann Browne Specialist in International Relations Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary On October 31, 2007, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to recommend Senate advice and consent to U.S. adherence to the 1982 U.N. Convention on ...
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| Date Oct. 30, 2007 |
Report No. RL34224 |
Title
Order Code RL34224 College Costs and Prices: Issues for Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act October 30, 2007 Rebecca R. Skinner Specialist in Education Policy Domestic Social Policy Blake Alan Naughton Analyst in Education Policy Domestic Social Policy College Costs and Prices: Issues for Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act Summary The rising cost of attending U.S. colleges and ...
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| Date Oct. 26, 2007 |
Report No. RL34220 |
Title
Order Code RL34220 Federal Income Taxation of Indian Tribes and Members October 26, 2007 Yule Kim Law Clerk American Law Division Federal Income Taxation of Indian Tribes and Members Summary Generally, Indian tribes are exempt from federal income taxation. This exemption extends to income earned by federally chartered but not state-chartered tribal corporations. On the other hand, individual ...
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| Date Oct. 25, 2007 |
Report No. RS22744 |
Title
Order Code RS22744 October 25, 2007 California Wildfires and Federal Assistance Ross W. Gorte Specialist in Natural Resources Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary Wildfires in southern California have destroyed homes and forced thousands to evacuate. The federal government is assisting state and local efforts to control the fires and evacuate those at risk. Federal programs ...
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| Date Oct. 25, 2007 |
Report No. RS22467 |
Title
Order Code RS22467 Updated October 25, 2007 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA): Effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Implementation Jeffrey A. Zinn Specialist in Natural Resources Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), enacted in 1990 and administered by the U.S. Army ...
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| Date Oct. 25, 2007 |
Report No. RS22276 |
Title
Order Code RS22276 Updated October 25, 2007 Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Jeffrey A. Zinn Specialist in Natural Resources Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary Prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been seeking congressional approval for a $1.1 billion program both to construct five projects that ...
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| Date Oct. 24, 2007 |
Report No. RL33868 |
Title
Order Code RL33868 Medicare: FY2008 Budget Issues Updated October 24, 2007 Hinda Chaikind and Gretchen A. Jacobson, Coordinators, Jim Hahn, Paulette C. Morgan, Jennifer O Sullivan, Holly Stockdale, and Julie Stone Domestic Social Policy Division Medicare: FY2008 Budget Issues Summary Each February, the President submits a detailed budget request to Congress for the following federal fiscal year, ...
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| Date Oct. 23, 2007 |
Report No. RL34077 |
Title
Order Code RL34077 Student Loans, Student Aid, and FY2008 Budget Reconciliation Updated October 23, 2007 Adam Stoll, David P. Smole, and Charmaine Mercer Specialists in Education Policy Domestic Social Policy Division Student Loans, Student Aid, and FY2008 Budget Reconciliation Summary The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 was enacted as P.L. 110-84 on September 27, 2007. P.L. 110-84 ...
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| Date Oct. 22, 2007 |
Report No. RS22741 |
Title
Order Code RS22741 October 22, 2007 Is Securitization an Obstacle to Subprime Borrower Workouts? Edward V. Murphy Analyst in Financial Institutions Government and Finance Division Summary Securitization is the process by which a group of similar assets, such as mortgages, is transformed into marketable securities. Securitization could present an obstacle to borrowers and lenders seeking to work ...
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| Date Oct. 18, 2007 |
Report No. RL34129 |
Title
Order Code RL34129 Medicaid and SCHIP Provisions in H.R. 3162, S. 1893/H.R. 976, and Agreement Updated October 18, 2007 Evelyne P. Baumrucker, Coordinator, Bernadette Fernandez, April Grady, Jean Hearne, Elicia J. Herz, and Chris L. Peterson Domestic Social Policy Division Medicaid and SCHIP Provisions in H.R. 3162, S. 1893/H.R. 976, and Agreement Summary Medicaid, authorized under Title XIX of ...
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| Date Oct. 17, 2007 |
Report No. RL32894 |
Title
Order Code RL32894 Anti-Doping Policies: The Olympics and Selected Professional Sports Updated October 17, 2007 L. Elaine Halchin Analyst in American National Government Government and Finance Division Anti-Doping Policies: The Olympics and Selected Professional Sports Summary The use of performance-enhancing substances by athletes has a long history, predating the ancient Greek Olympiads. Concern ...
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| Date Oct. 17, 2007 |
Report No. RL34213 |
Title
Order Code RL34213 Retirement Savings Accounts: Fees, Expenses, and Account Balances October 17, 2007 Patrick Purcell Specialist in Income Security Domestic Social Policy Division Retirement Savings Accounts: Fees, Expenses, and Account Balances Summary According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 43% of private-sector employees participated in defined contribution retirement plans, such as those ...
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