Defines the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and practice of reverse engineering. The report is categorized into five categories, (I) Background, (II) Exceptions to the copyright monopoly: reverse engineering, (lll) Lexmark International v. Static Control Components, Inc, (lV) Chamberlain Group, Inc. v. Skylink Technologies, Inc, and (V) Conclusion

This report is a guide to the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill, including the funding for civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), most of the Department of Energy (DOE), and a number of independent agencies.

The United States recognized the independence of all the former Soviet republics by the end of 1991, including the South Caucasus states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The United States has fostered these states' ties with the West in part to end the dependence of these states on Russia for trade, security, and other relations. The FREEDOM Support Act of 1992 provides authorization for assistance to the Eurasian states for humanitarian needs, democratization, and other purposes. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the Administration appealed for a national security waiver of the prohibition on aid to Azerbaijan, in consideration of Azerbaijan's assistance to the international coalition to combat terrorism. Azerbaijani and Georgian troops participate in stabilization efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Armenian personnel serve in Iraq.

This report provides information on the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular A-76, “Performance of Commercial Activities,” and the impact of a related reform initiative, the Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act (FAIR) of 1998, within the Department of Defense. The Circular defines federal policy for determining whether recurring commercial activities should be outsourced to commercial sources, Governmental facilities, or through inter-service support agreements. The FAIR Act creates statutory reporting requirements for federal executive agencies, by requiring Federal executive agencies to identify activities “not inherently governmental” and consider outsourcing through managed competitions. However, FAIR does not require that agencies contract out these activities.

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In the first days following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, an unprecedented number of Americans contributed over $2.7 billion in donations to assist in the relief of victims. According to a 2004 Rand Corporation study, that money amounted to only a modest share (7%) of the $38.1 billion “quantified benefits” provided to victims of the terrorist attacks. The Rand Study reported that payments worth $19.6 billion (51%) were disbursed by insurers and $15.8 billion (42%) were disbursed by government programs.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has many responsibilities for ensuring the continuity of the “real” economy: production, distribution, and consumption of public and private goods and services. Other agencies, however, have long had similar responsibilities for the “financial” sectors of the economy, which interact with the sectors DHS oversees pursuant to P.L. 107-296. DHS has some responsibilities for financial sectors, directly and through Treasury Department links. Financial agencies carry out recovery and security activities independently but also coordinately with DHS.

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This report discusses the budget for the fiscal year of 2005 and the requests of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Updated December 10, 2004.

This report analyzes the proposed budget of the fiscal year of 2005 and the requests of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Updated December 10, 2004.

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Report detailing the vision for space exploration, including budget changes for NASA, public reaction, and more.

This report analyzes annual budget justifications and legislation for foreign operations and discusses U.S. foreign aid trends, programs, and restrictions in 16 East Asian and South Asian countries. This report does not cover aid to Pacific Island nations, North Korea, and Afghanistan.

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This report is on Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs.

This report focuses on the amendment procedure of the house committee markup.

This report provides a brief overview of the vehicle for consideration and amendment on the house committee markup.

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This report addresses the controversial issues surrounding the E-rate program's implementation and subsequent legislative measures introduced to address these issues. An additional issue, concern that minors may gain access to "inappropriate" material through the Internet has also had an impact on the E-rate program.

The 108th Congress has acted on a variety of disparate environmental measures; some of these represent proposals or issues that had been under consideration in the 107th Congress and earlier. Environmental issues considered by Congress tend to fall into several major categories: (1) funding issues — whether funding levels are adequate and focused on appropriate priorities; (2) expanding, renewing, or refocusing specific environment programs; (3) environmental issues that are important “subsets” of other major areas of concern, such as energy, defense, or transportation programs; and more recently, (4) terrorism and infrastructure protection in areas such as wastewater and chemical facilities.