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This report covers the Foreign Aid Authorization: The Technical Assistance, Trade Promotion, and Anti-Corruption Act of 2000, which selectively authorizes a range of foreign aid activities, updates permanent foreign assistance laws, expands several aid initiatives, such as those to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, launches new initiatives, and repeals obsolete legislation.

A number of legislative proposals to restructure or eliminate the Department of Energy (DOE) and the DOE laboratories have been introduced since the end of the Cold War, especially since the beginning of the 104th Congress. This legislation has been introduced because of perceived major problems with DOE, including its overall mission. Sponsors state, for example, that about 85% of DOE's budget is for non-energy programs, even though the nation's dependency on foreign energy sources has increased since the establishment of the department. Also of concern is the department's failure to go far enough, in their view, in solving its long-term management problems, downsizing, and reducing budgets.

This report provides a table outlining the bills vetoed by President William Jefferson Clinton's two terms in office. It includes an overview and the bill number, date, title, and override attempts for each veto.

This report discusses the appropriations act for FY2001, proposed budget includes $ 445 million in federal payments and assistance to the District of Columbia.

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This report provides background information relating to tax depreciation of structures, including a discussion of the methods of measuring economic depreciation.

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Statistics indicating Internet usage are imprecise. It is difficult to measure the scale of the Internet (or the World Wide Web), calculate the number and types of users (age, sex, race, gender, location, etc.), or forecast future growth. This report discusses the inherent complexities of estimating Internet and electronic commerce growth and describes various types of Internet statistics, discussing how to evaluate them and providing Web addresses for locating them. In addressing these topics, it is important to understand how the statistics are compiled, how they are used, and what their limitations are.

On May 23, 2000, President Clinton and Speaker Dennis Hastert announced a bipartisan agreement on a renewal communities and new markets legislative initiative which would provide tax credits and investment guarantees designed to draw equity capital into impoverished areas. Following two months of negotiations over the specific language of the initiative, H.R. 4923 was introduced on July 24, and passed by the House under suspension of the rules the following day

This report reviews the final regulations on diesel fuel and diesel engine emissions signed by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner December 21, 2000 and promulgated January 18, 2001. This report examines the rule’s potential impacts on fuel supply, summarizes the issues related to pollution controls, discusses potential impacts on the economy, and discusses issues raised by the timing and implementation schedule of the proposed rule.

The 106th Congress is considering a general overhaul of derivatives regulation. Pending legislation would codify the unregulated status of certain derivatives, exempt many other currently-regulated contracts from oversight by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and permit the trading of a new kind of contract: a futures contract based on the stock of an individual corporation. Derivatives legislation has been reported out of committee in both House and Senate. This report analyzes this legislation in the 106th Congress, and will be updated as developments warrant.

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Two reauthorization bills have been reported in the House: the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reported H.R. 1300 (H.Rept. 106-353, Part I), and the Commerce Committee reported H.R. 2580 (H.Rept. 106-775, Part I). The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has considered a brownfields bill, S. 2700. The outlook for passage of any of them is not bright.

Taxes have been a major focus of congressional attention during the first half of 2000. In part, Congress has returned to many of the issues it addressed last year. In August, 1999, Congress passed a set of tax cuts with the Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act (H.R. 2488; TRRA). However, President Clinton vetoed the bill, arguing that the cuts were too large (an estimated $792 billion over 10 years), would drain funds from Social Security surpluses, and would force reductions in domestic spending. Early in 2000, Congress signaled its intention of revisiting tax cuts with passage on April 13 of a fiscal year (FY) 2001 budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 290) calling for a 5-year tax cut of $175 billion.