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The earned income tax credit began in 1975 as a temporary program to return a portion of the social security taxes paid by lower-income taxpayers, and was made permanent in 1978. In the 1990s, the program became a major component of federal efforts to reduce poverty, and is now the largest anti-poverty entitlement program. This report contains information on the earned income tax credit, policy and legislative issues, compliance, and more.

This report provides information about the Benefits and Financing on Federal Employees’ Retirement System. Most civilian federal employees who were hired before 1984 are covered by the civil service retirement system.

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This report addresses Energy, Environment, and Development Issues of Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicles.

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This report provides Review of 10 States based on Home and Community-Based Services — States Seek to Change the Face of Long-Term Care of Illinois.

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This report includes background directories, current information, references for government, politics, legislation, and other sources. It lists a number of Internet search engines, which can be used at many public libraries. It also suggests guides on how to search, including one for kids.

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This report includes information regarding major legislative issues involving military retirement. Military retirement, retired pay and survivor benefit COLAs, and military retirement budgeting and costs are among topics discussed in this report.

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions appropriations bills, recessions, and budget reconciliation bills. The process begins with the President's budget request and it bounded by the rules of the House and Senate, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990, and current program authorizations. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Energy and Water. It summarizes the current legislative status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related legislative activity. The report lists the key CRS staff relevant to the issues covered and related CRS products.

P.L. 104-193 (the 1996 welfare reform legislation) made major changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program. Some of the changes include requiring states to increase the percentage of fathers identified, establishing an integrated, automated network linking all states to information about the location and assets of parents, and requiring states to implement more enforcement techniques to obtain collections from debtor parents. Additional legislative changes were made in 1997, 1998, and 1999, but not in 2000, 2001, or 2002. This report describes several aspects of the revised CSE program and discusses three issues that probably will be reexamined by the 108th Congress — CSE financing, parental access by noncustodial parents, and distribution of support payments.