This report looks at the regulations surrounding the polar bear, which has been protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) since 1972. The report discusses the protections, prohibitions, and special rules for polar bears as well as exceptions to the rules, habitat issues, recovery plans, and other issues regarding polar bear protections.

This report provides an overview of Egyptian politics and current issues in U.S.-Egyptian relations. It briefly provides a political history of modern Egypt, an overview of its political institutions, and a discussion of the prospects for democratization in Egypt.

None

This report discusses the current political and economic conditions in the country of Panama, which has made notable political and economic progress since the 1989 U.S. military intervention that ousted the regime of General Manuel Noriega from power. The United States has close relations with Panama, stemming in large part from the extensive linkages developed when the canal was under U.S. control. This report describes the U.S.-Panama relationship at length, including trade relations.

None

This report provides brief summaries and background information for four types of tax-advantaged accounts for healthcare; it compares them with respect to eligibility, contribution limits, use of funds, and other characteristics for tax year 2009. It also includes a discussion of various healthcare-related issues including equity and options for reform.

None

Over the past several decades, Congress, by statute, has established a wide array of commissions, boards, and advisory bodies to provide it with assistance in meeting various legislative, investigative, and administrative responsibilities. This report contains a compilation of commissions and boards that demonstrates the range of alternative membership appointment structures.

None

This report discusses the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA), which established a prevailing wage requirement for persons working under government contracts, and the Clean Water Act (CWA), which includes a related requirement for the construction of wastewater treatment plants. In particular, it considers the impact on state revolving loan funds (SRF), in which states contribute part of the needed funds for projects and would need to account for the prevailing wage requirement.

This report traces the legislative history of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA;P.L. 107-16) and its extensions, shows their time line, and provides general overview of their implications and revenue effects. The report focuses on the measures that extend or curtail the key tax relief provisions of EGTRRA and the follow-up legislation, rather than modify the respective parts of the tax code in some new way.

This report is written from the perspective of labor policy and details the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), related to farm labor, under which a guest worker must be paid state or federal minimum wage.

This report provides information about the Threat Assessments on High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices that can overload at distant numerous systems.

This report lists and summarizes the implementation status dates of the No Child Left Behind Act requirements and how they relate to certain NCLBA programs as well as issues that have arisen with them. The report is chronologically split into eleven sections each covering a different NCLBA provision.

None

None

None

None

None

None

None

None

None

None