This is an annotated guide to publications and other sources of information useful to Members of Congress and their staffs, covering congressional office management, the organization and operation of Congress, legislative responsibilities, services to constituents, and other duties of Congress.

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This report discusses price changes in the pork industry. In late 1998, the lowest hog prices in decades created a crisis in the pork industry and prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Congress to take a series of actions to assist producers, including direct cash payments, and the purchase of extra pork products to reduce market supplies. The industry sought additional aid as low prices persisted into 1999.

This report categorizes, describes, and in some cases quantifies these barriers on a country-by-country basis. Sixty-two major trading partners are covered in the 2008 report.10 Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBTs) are generally detailed in each country’s profile and, where feasible, their impacts on U.S. exports are quantified by U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

As the first session of the 109th Congress draws to a close, some Members continue to address urgent needs from Hurricane Katrina funding. On October 28, 2005, the President proposed to reallocate $17.1 billion of the $60 billion in funds previously appropriated for disaster relief in two Katrina supplementals (P.L.109-61 and P.L.109-62). On the same day, the President submitted a request to rescind $2.3 billion to offset some of the costs of the federal response.

This report focuses on U.N. reform efforts and priorities from the perspective of several key actors, including the U.S. government, the U.N. Secretary-General, selected groups of member states, and a cross-section of groups tasked with addressing U.N. reform. It also examines congressional actions related to U.N. reform, as well as future policy considerations.

This Issue Brief examines DOD’s four largest tactical aircraft modernization programs. The background section provides a brief description of each program, and a discussion of how tactical aircraft fit into the military air operations: the missions they typically perform and how they contrast to longer-range combat aircraft.

The impact of taxes on international trade and foreign investment has had a place in tax policy debates for decades, although its prominence has waxed and waned. The debate has tended to grow more heated during times of domestic economic weakness and high unemployment ; questions arise during such times over whether taxes contribute to such weakness by discouraging exports (or encouraging imports) or by encouraging U.S. firms to move abroad. In recent months, the debate over international taxation again became prominent as a part of the wider debate over “outsourcing.” With taxes, the debate asks how the current tax system likely affects outsourcing, and whether alternative tax policies designed to limit the phenomenon might be desirable. This report applies economic analysis to both questions.

This report provides basic eligibility rules, recipient numbers, and FY1996-FY1998 expenditure data for 80 programs that have provided cash or non-cash benefits to low-income persons.

This report discusses the 30 bills introduced during the 108th Congress seeking to improve campaign finance laws.

This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competition.

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This report is designed to assist Members of Congress as they consider the costs and benefits of the U.S.-South Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA.) It examines the provisions of the KORUS FTA in the context of the overall U.S.-South Korean economic relationship, U.S. objectives, and South Korean objectives.

Legislative initiatives to comprehensively amend the Clean Water Act had stalled for some time as interested parties debated whether and exactly how to change the law. Congress had instead focused legislative attention on narrow bills to extend or modify selected Clean Water Act programs, rather than taking up comprehensive proposals. This report contains information on the most recent developments on related issues as it its writing, background and analysis, and legislative issues with the 109th Congress as relating to the Clean Water Act and programs.

This report discusses the financial assistance for constructing municipal sewage treatment plants and certain other types of water quality improvement projects. It also points out Titles II and VI ---Municipal Wastewater Treatment Construction.

This report describes impacts of the storms on drinking water and waste water treatment facilities and efforts to assess damages and needs to repair and reconstruct damaged systems.

The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act has two basic aims: to regulate intentional ocean disposal of materials, and to authorize related research. Permit and enforcement provisions of the law are often referred to as the Ocean Dumping Act. The basic provisions of the act have remained virtually unchanged since 1972, when it was enacted to establish a comprehensive waste management system to regulate disposal or dumping of all materials into marine waters that are within U.S. jurisdiction, although a number of new authorities have been added. This report presents a summary of the law.

This report examines recent congressional interest in the security of wastewater utilities, and whether or not to include water utilities in chemical plant security regulations implemented by Department of Homeland Security. Damage to or destruction of the nation's water supply and water quality infrastructure by terrorist attack or natural disaster could disrupt the delivery of vital human services in this country, threatening public health and the environment, or possibly causing loss of life. Interest in such problems has increased greatly since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

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This report includes information regarding the implementation of the Clean Water Act. Total maximum daily load requirements, funding issues, and stormwater discharges are among topics discussed in this report.

This report discusses four bills introduced in the 109th Congress. This report also discusses several key issues within the bills.

The 103d Congress will debate the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) 2 which expired on October 1, 1992. The Act has recently generated controversy, even though it passed in 1973 with virtually no opposition. Much of the debate concerns specific actions that would jeopardize particular species or populations. However, the controversy has been fueled by the discrepancies between two sets of legal definitions and the subtle biological realities that they approximate

This report provides a brief overview and charts illustrating statistics about who would receive tax cuts, tax increases, or stay the same under the Senate version of the Tax Reform Bill.