This report summarizes the proposals that have emerged and the issues surrounding them.

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This report provides background and an overview on clearcutting use in the National Forests and effects.

This report discusses criteria to consider when judging the quality of an internet site and the best strategies for locating information on the World Wide Web. There are two ways to search the Internet. The first is to use subject guides (e.g., Yahoo, Galaxy, or WWW Virtual Library), which are compiled by human indexers. These present an organized hierarchy of categories so a searcher can “drill down” through their links. The second option is to use a search engine (e.g., Alta Vista, Hotbot, or InfoSeek), an automated software robot which indexes Web pages and retrieves information based on relevancy-ranked algorithms. This report describes how search engines index the World Wide Web, as well as various features common to most search engines. In addition, the report suggests searching tips for retrieving the most precise information. Finally, the report discusses Usenet news groups, email discussion lists, gophers, and miscellaneous Web resources.

This report discusses how The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 has affected alien (illegal immigrants and nonimmigrants in the country) eligibility for federal, state, and local government assistance.

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This report provides information about the Foreign Policy Agency Reorganization in the 105th Congress. This report also provides the background on foreign policy consolidation issues, discusses foreign policy implications, and tracks legislation.

This report examines Mercosur, the third largest preferential trading group in the world. Since its inception in 1991, Mercosur has made considerable progress in integrating the economies of its members. The integration --- an almost complete free trade area and a partial customs union --- has been accompanied by a significant increase in U.S. exports and investment to the region. In the future, Mercosur face challenges affecting the size of its membership, the depth of its integration, and the strength of its institutions.

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This report provides an overview and analysis of charter school legislation and related activity in the states, the federal Public Charter School program, and issues that have risen about the participation of charter schools in other federal education assistance programs.

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This report discusses the ramifications of actions taken by lawmakers to reduce the consumption of tobacco in regards to tobacco farms and the farming industry.

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Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, P.L. 103-62, also called the “Results Act,” and GPRA. A government-wide performance plan was submitted with the President’s FY1999 budget. Congressional hearings have been held on implementation of GPRA, and the General Accounting Office and congressional groups have assessed initial activities. Most strategic plans have been criticized for not conveying required analyses of the linkage between strategic goals and annual goals and measures, of resources needed to achieve goals, of data systems capabilities, and of interagency coordination on similar programs.

This report provides background on the CSBG and related activities, including information on funding, and tracks the progress of relevant legislation ad appropriations measures.

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Report on immigration-related welfare issues, including statistics, restrictions, past acts, and more.

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Report on the use of transportation trust funds used to fund federal programs, including a discussion of the issues, an explanation of trust fund balances, and more.

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This report provides background on the Community Services Block Grants (CSBG) and related activities, including information on funding, and tracks the progress of relevant legislation and appropriations measures.

There has been considerable interest recently in privatizing Social Security. The ideas are wide-ranging: from adoption of a totally-revamped system of personal retirement accounts, similar to an approach taken by Chile in 1983, to permitting optional earmarking of a portion of existing payroll taxes for personal savings. This report summarizes the proposals that have emerged and the issues surrounding them.