This report provides information about the Child Nutrition and Women, Infant and children (WIC) Legislation in the 108th and 109th Congresses.

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Fish and marine mammals are important resources in open ocean and nearshore coastal areas; many federal laws and regulations guide their management. This report discusses a variety of laws and legislation pertaining to this issue.

The Corps is a federal agency in the Department of Defense with military and civilian responsibilities. At the direction of Congress, the Corps plans, builds, operates, and maintains a wide range of water resources facilities in U.S. states and territories.

This report discusses conflicting values and difficult choices related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 109th Congress.It also identifies bills that were introduced in the 109th Congress to address specific concerns related to how the ESA is implemented and how endangered species are managed.

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This report discusses potential changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act that may occur during the 109th Congress.

Over the past two decades, the Latin America and Caribbean region has made enormous strides in terms of political and economic development. Legislative and oversight attention to Latin America and the Caribbean in the 109th Congress has focused on continued counternarcotics efforts; trade issues; challenges to democracy, especially in Venezuela; efforts to bring political stability and ameliorate poverty in Haiti; efforts to foster political change in Cuba; and cooperation on migration and border security, especially with Mexico. This report provides an overview of U.S. relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on the role of Congress and congressional concerns.

A number of issues affecting U.S. agriculture are receiving attention in the 109th Congress. The conference agreement on the FY2006 omnibus budget reconciliation bill includes a net reduction in spending on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandatory programs of $2.7 billion over five years, and the reauthorization of a dairy income support program. Other issues of importance to agriculture during the second session of the 109th Congress include the possible consideration of emergency farm disaster assistance; multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations; concerns about agroterrorism, food safety, and animal and plant diseases (e.g., “mad cow” disease and avian flu); high energy costs; environmental issues; agricultural marketing matters, and the reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. This report will be updated as significant developments ensue.

This report provides context, comparison, and discussion of the issues addressed in the various legislative proposals addressing lobbying and lobbying-related laws and congressional Rules introduced thus far in the 109th Congress.

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