In the 109th Congress, several bills have been introduced, including S. 3, the Protecting America in the War on Terror Act, and S. 975, the Project Bioshield II Act, that would generate additional incentives for the creation of new technologies to counteract potential biological threats. These bills propose reforms to current policies and practices associated with intellectual property, particularly patents, and the marketing of pharmaceuticals and related products. This report includes patents and innovation, the role of patents in pharmaceutical/biomedical R&D, legislative developments and proposals for change.

Photograph of the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas. Two windows and a door are housed in arches in the front facade of the building. The words "Home of Dr. Pepper" have been carved above the door.

Photograph of the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas. It is a red and tan building, and there is a red van stopped in front of it.

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This report provides Background, Legislation, and Issues on Federal Crime Control. states and locality have the primary responsibility for the prevention and control of domestic crime while the federal government's role is limited.

The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China (PRC) is vitally important, touching on a wide range of areas including, among others, economic policy, security, foreign relations, and human rights. This report addresses relevant policy questions in current U.S.-China relations, discusses trends and key legislation in the current Congress, and provides a chronology of developments and high-level exchanges.

Congress continues to debate the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition. It is a contentious debate, with strong advocates for and against the further federal regulation of firearms.

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This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduced during the 109th Congress. Action in the second session has focused on appropriations bills; the first session focused on omnibus energy policy bill H.R. 6 and several appropriations bills. this report describes several major pieces of legislation, including the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Transportation Equity Act. For each bill listed in this report, a brief description and a summary of action are given, including references to committee hearings and reports. Also, a selected list of hearings on renewable energy is included.

On March 23, 2005, the Social Security Board of Trustees released its annual report to Congress on the status of the Social Security trust funds. The Social Security trust funds, under the latest forecast, continue to face long-range financing problems.

Letter from Senator Wyden, Senator Smith, and Representative Walden concerning the 142nd and 173rd fighter Wings, the Umatilla Chemical Depot, and the National Guard and Reserve facilities.

Letter from Representatives Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Darlene Hooley, and David Wu concerning Oregon's military installations.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate commemorating the 75th anniversary of the discovery of the East Texas Oil Field on October 3, 1930.

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate honoring Pope Benedict XVI on his election to the papacy.

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate honoring Jim M. Alsup of Midland for his lifelong commitment to philanthropy.

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas Senate and House of Representatives recognizing Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle for their observance of the National Day of Prayer.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a commissioners court or another elected official may continue to pay compensation to a suspended employee (RQ-0286-GA)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the Lottery Commission may sell promotional items to the general public, Commission employees, or vendors with whom the Commission contracts (RQ-0287-GA)

Article discussing thermochemical and theoretical studies of dimethylpyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate and pyridine-2,3-, pyridine-2,5- and pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acids.

This article provides the correction of an equation that was misprinted in Physical Review Letters 94, 116802 (2005).

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The nation's economy and its citizens' quality of life depend on our transportation system. While all government levels have made significant investments in transportation, projections of future passenger and freight travel indicate that considerable investment will be needed to maintain the system. However, this comes amid growing concern about the size of the federal budget deficit and increasing demands on state and local government revenue. As a result, careful decisions will need to be made to ensure that transportation investments maximize the benefits of each dollar invested. The House Appropriations Committee report accompanying the fiscal year 2004 Departments of Transportation and Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill, required GAO to review the benefits and costs of various transportation modes. (See GAO-05-172.) As part of this study, GAO convened an expert panel that included some of the leading transportation economists and practitioners from throughout the nation. The panel discussed the benefits and costs of highway and transit investments."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Park Service routinely issues permits for special park uses, such as special events or commercial filming and still photography. However, the National Football League's use of the National Mall to launch its 2003 season raised questions about whether permitting such events was consistent with existing policies and law and whether all applicable fees for permitting special park uses were being collected. GAO (1) identified applicable policy guidance for issuing special uses permits for special events and for commercial filming and still photography, (2) assessed the extent to which this guidance was applied during fiscal year 2003, and (3) determined the extent to which the Park Service implemented the requirement to collect location fees for commercial filming and still photography."