Over the past decade, worldwide production of illicit drugs has risen dramatically: opium and marijuana production has roughly doubled and coca production tripled. Street prices of cocaine and heroin have fallen significantly in the past 20 years, reflecting increased availability. Despite apparent national political resolve to deal with the drug problem, inherent contradictions regularly appear between U.S. anti-drug policy and other national policy goals and concerns. The mix of competing domestic and international pressures and priorities has produced an ongoing series of disputes within and between the legislative and executive branches concerning U.S. international drug policy. One contentious issue has been the Congressionally-mandated certification process, an instrument designed to induce specified drug-exporting countries to prioritize or pay more attention to the fight against narcotics businesses.

This report provides an overview of aspects of ESEA Title I-A that were substantially amended by the NCLBA.

This report discusses Egypt-U.S. relations, issues in Egyptian-U.S. relations, and U.S. foreign assistance to Egypt

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In 1994, 34 Western Hemisphere nations met at the first Summit of the Americas, envisioning a plan for completing a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by January 1, 2005. Nine years later, the third draft text of the agreement was presented at the November 2003 Miami trade ministerial. The Ministerial Declaration, negotiated largely by the two co-chairs, Brazil and the United States, took the FTAA in a new direction, away from the comprehensive, single undertaking principle, toward a two-tier framework comprising a set of “common rights and obligations” for all countries, augmented by voluntary plurilateral arrangements with country benefits related to commitments. A follow-up meeting in early 2004 in Puebla, Mexico was unable to clarify this concept, highlighting the deep differences that remained between the United States and Brazil. FTAA talks subsequently stalled and the original January 1, 2005 deadline was missed. In the meantime, both Brazil and the United States are pursuing subregional trade pacts that may further complicate the negotiation process. Talks between Brazil and the United States may resume in early 2005, but it is still unclear if significant progress can be made on the FTAA this year.

This report summarizes recently proposed and enacted legislation to promote the use of EHRs and the development of the NHII. It begins with a brief discussion of some of the benefits of broadening the application of information technology (IT) in health care, as well as the significant financial, technical, and legal barriers to the adoption of health IT. The report concludes with a set of tables summarizinf health IT legislation in the 108th and 109th Congresses.

This report gives an overview of key technology policy issues of the internet affecting its use and growth.

This report summarizes several key technology policy issues such as Internet privacy, computer and internet security, broadband internet access, electronic commerce, spam, internet's domain name system, and e-government.

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This report includes information regarding United States relations and bilateral issues with Jordan. Jordan's reaction to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Jordan's role in peace negotiations, and trade issues are among topics discussed in this report.

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The United States and Morocco reached agreement on March 2, 2004, to create a free trade agreement (FTA). The FTA is intended to strengthen bilateral ties, boost trade and investment flows, and bolster Morocco’s position as a moderate Arab state. More than 95% of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products will become duty-free upon entry into force of the agreement. The Senate approved implementing legislation (S. 2677) on July 2, 2004, by a vote of 85-13 and the House approved identical legislation (H.R. 4842) on July 22, 2004, by a vote of 323-99. The next day, the Senate passed House approved H.R. 4842 without amendment by unanimous consent.

The State Department’s new Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) is intended to address longstanding concerns, both within Congress and the broader foreign policy community, over the perceived lack of the appropriate capabilities and processes to deal with transitions from conflict to sustainable stability. These capabilities and procedures include adequate planning mechanisms for stabilization and reconstruction operations, efficient inter-agency coordination structures and procedures in carrying out such tasks, and appropriate civilian personnel for many of the non-military tasks required.

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From Summary: This report reviews the history, trends, and outcomes of past federal services integration initiatives that might be seen as comparable to the current "superwaiver" proposal, a welfare reform reauthorization proposed by the Bush Administration.

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