This report describes the rules governing statutes of limitation for federal crimes and provides a list of federal statutes of limitation in criminal cases with a rough chart of comparable state provisions.

This report discusses the federal procurement laws regarding federal agencies hiring contractors for disaster recovery work and the encouragement to use local contractors for the work to help the local economy recover.

This report discusses the latest softwood lumber dispute between the U.S. and Canada, known as Lumber V. This report provides background information on the dispute, summarizes the key issues leading to the tensions between the United States and Canada over softwood lumber, and examines current developments in Lumber V.

This report analyzes the political and economic conditions in Colombia and examines major issues in U.S.-Colombian relations. Topics covered include recent Presidential administrations, economic conditions, the FARC Peace Accord, human rights concerns, the narcotics trade, and the U.S.-Colombia bilateral strategies known as Plan Colombia and Peace Colombia.

This report discusses an agreement made between Russia and the U.S. to dispose of excess weapons-grade plutonium, and describes both Russian and U.S. methods and plans for disposal. The U.S. plans are discussed in more detail, with various Congressional considerations regarding funding of the program.

This report provides an overview key findings from the newly issued CRS Report R45036, Bank Systemic Risk Regulation: The $50 Billion Threshold in the Dodd-Frank Act. It includes some background information and a list of bills that may also affect the legislation.

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) program, which is carried out by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy, and gives Navy Aegis cruisers and destroyers a capability for conducting BMD operations. Congress's decisions on the Aegis BMD program could significantly affect U.S. BMD capabilities and funding requirements, and the BMD-related industrial base.

This report provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Navy's irregular warfare (IW) and counterterrorism (CT) operations. The Navy's IW and CT activities pose a number of potential oversight issues for Congress, including how much emphasis to place on IW and CT activities in future Navy budgets.

This report discusses the role of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), its appropriations requests for fiscal year 2018, and various proposals for restructuring the agency made in Congress.

This report begins with a discussion of the overall level of President Trump's FY2018 R&D request, followed by analyses of the R&D funding request from a variety of perspectives and for selected multiagency R&D initiatives. The report concludes with discussion and analysis of the R&D budget requests of selected federal departments and agencies that, collectively, account for nearly 99% of total federal R&D funding. Selected terms associated with federal R&D funding are defined in the text box on the next page. Appendix A provides a list of acronyms and abbreviations.

This report the Temporary Assistance for Needy Children (TANF) block grant. It provides an overview of TANF financing and rules for state programs, describing federal TANF grants and state funds under a "maintenance-of-effort" (MOE) requirement; how federal TANF and state MOE funds may be used to help achieve the purpose and goals of the TANF block grant; rules that apply when TANF or MOE funds are used to provide "assistance" to needy families with children; rules that apply when TANF or MOE funds are used for benefits and services other than assistance; certain accountability requirements, including requirements that states submit plans and report data to the federal government; and provisions of TANF law not directly related to grants to states, such as competitive grants for promoting healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood, and tribal TANF provisions.

This report answers common questions regarding the government's discretionary spending limits under the Budget Control Act which if they are exceeded trigger sequestration. The result of continuing budget resolutions and possibilities for fiscal year 2018 are addressed.

This report answers frequently asked questions regarding the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) program which requires international trade agreements that reduce tariff or non-tariff barriers to trade in ways that require changes in U.S. law, to be implemented only through the enactment of legislation. If the trade agreement and the process of negotiating it meet certain requirements, TPA allows Congress to consider the required implementing bill under expedited procedures, pursuant to which the bill may come to the floor without action by the leadership, and can receive a guaranteed up-or-down vote with no amendments.

This report discuses the Trump Administration's 2018 fiscal year budget request for the National Science Foundation which proposed significant funding cuts across the agency's major research, education, and construction accounts. Overall, the request includes $6.653 billion for NSF, $819 million (11%) below the FY2017 enacted amount of $7.472 billion (P.L. 115-31).

This report discusses the process of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and its use in the United States. Legislation in the 115th Congress and the current state of the CCS process are discussed.

This report provides a description of Executive Order (EO) 13768 "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States" issued on January 25, 2017 by President Trump. It highlights, in particular, potential questions about how the EO could be construed in regard to "sanctuary cities" and briefly discusses the claims made by those jurisdictions challenging the EO.

This report provides background information on the deployment of nuclear weapon systems in South Korea in the past, explores the options that might be available for the redeployment of nuclear weapons to South Korea now to deter the North Korean threat, and discusses the potential implications of doing so for South Korea, North Korea, Japan, and the U.S.

This report discusses times when Congress has issued or proposed censures of the President for his actions which though not laws show Congress's displeasure and reflect badly on the President.

This report discuses the prospects of a free trade agreement between the U.K. and the U.S. after Brexit and potential issues that might be addressed in such an agreement. Congress's role in free trade agreements is also discussed.

This report discusses special flexibility and hiring options for federal employees after disasters that are issued by the Department of Personnel Management (OPM). Most recently these options have been offered to those effected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The various options for employees using the program are listed and described in a tabular format.

This report defines the terms domestic terrorism, hate crimes, and homegrown violent extremism as used by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and how they can intersect.

This report explains the actions taken on April 6, 2017, by which the Senate effectively extended to Supreme Court nominations its November 2013 reinterpretation of Rule XXII regarding how many Senators are needed to invoke cloture for nominations being debated by the Senate. It concludes with a list of related CRS products that provide more history and context regarding the method used to reinterpret the Senate Rule, the nominations process, and cloture and filibusters.

This report discusses the IDEA Act which regulates special education programs and services for children with disabilities. Part B contains provisions relating to the education of school aged children (the grants-to-states program) and state grants program for preschool children with disabilities (Section 619). There are three sections in the report covering services for children with disabilities, procedural safeguards, and funding, expenditure requirements and compliance.

This report discusses the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program which provides non-reciprocal, duty-free tariff treatment to certain products imported from designated beneficiary developing countries (BDCs). This report examines, first, recent legislative developments, along with a brief history, economic rationale, and legal background leading to the establishment of the GSP. Second, the report describes U.S. GSP implementation. Third, the report briefly analyzes of the U.S. program's effectiveness and stakeholders' views, and discusses possible options for Congress in renewing the program for fiscal year 2018.