This report describes the process whereby the House and the Senate revise measures to be identical before sending them to the president.

This report briefly summarizes the process of amendments between the House of Representatives and the Senate, which occurs if the House and Senate approve differing versions of a measure. An exchange of amendments between the houses resolves these differences.

A rationale for federal financial support to Amtrak has been that rail service conserves energy, compared to other forms of intercity passenger transportation. The numbers discussed in this report suggest that the rationale might not be valid with regard to autos and buses. The report discusses some public policy implications that could follow from that conclusion.

This report mainly focuses on the Summary of Supreme Court Decisions of Capital Punishment during the 1978-98 Term where the cases reveal distinct characteristics.

Between 1988 and June 1999, thirteen emergency supplemental or farm disaster acts provided a total of $17 billion in emergency funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The vast majority of this amount has gone directly to farmers, primarily in the form of disaster payments ($12.2 billion) to any farmer suffering a significant crop loss caused by a natural disaster, and "market loss" payments ($3.1 billion) to help grain, cotton, and dairy farmers recover from low farm commodity prices. The remaining $1.7 billion has gone to a wide array of other USDA programs, including those for other forms of farm disaster assistance, farm loans, and overseas food aid. Congress is expected to consider a multi-billion financial assistance package for farmers sometime this year.

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This report explains the steps in the legislative process of the conference reports.

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Prior to 1986, general funds of the U.S. treasury were used to pay 65% of the cost to operate ocean and inland ports and to maintain and deepen their channels. The other 35 percent is paid by ports, or by state or local governments. In 1986, Congress enacted the Harbor Maintenance Tax and used the revenues to provide some of the funds for what has come to be considered the federal portion of such costs

This report identifies motions commonly used and requests frequently heard during a markup.

This report discusses house rules and statutes that detail several substantive requirements for items to be included in reports accompanying bills reported from committees. It provides a table that lists each rule with the requirement and applications.

This report briefly discusses the rules and procedure regarding House committee assignments, and outlines the various categories of committees.

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This report summarizes the major provisions of the agreement between the by House and Senate negotiators on the Medicare provisions.

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On November 30th to December 3rd, 1999, the highest decision-making body of the World Trade Organization (WTO), called the Ministerial Conference, will meet in Seattle to make broad policy decisions. The key issue for the trade ministers attending the meeting will be to decide on the structure and topics for the agenda of a new round of multilateral trade negotiations. Countries have committed to discuss agriculture and services trade in the new round. Other items that have been proposed for inclusion in the new round or for earlier consideration include tariff reductions, concessions for developing countries, labor issues and the environment, and the WTO decision-making process. Major labor, environmental, and consumer interest groups are expected to be present in Seattle to argue for more consideration of workers' rights and the environment within the WTO. This report provides a summary background on preparations for the Ministerial and related issues of congressional interest.