This report discusses Omnibus appropriations acts, which have become a significant feature of the legislative process in recent years as Congress and the President have used them more frequently to bring action on the regular appropriations cycle to a close. Following a discussion of pertinent background information, this report reviews the recent enactment of such measures and briefly addresses several issues raised by their use.

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This report provides background information on the Arab League boycott of Israel and past and current U.S. efforts to end its enforcement.

This report provides a brief overview of the major provisions of the Higher Education Act (HEA) organized by title and part. Appendix A of this report provides detailed appropriations figures for HEA-authorized programs, from FY2013 through FY2017. Appendix B gives a brief overview of the General Education Provisions Act, which applies to the majority of federal education programs administered by ED, including those programs authorized by the HEA. Finally, Appendix C provides information related to the eight comprehensive reauthorizations that the HEA has undergone. Other CRS reports provide more detailed discussions and analyses of the major HEA provisions.

This report discusses general debate, which is a period of time set aside for debating the merits of the bill as a whole, the state of current law on the subject of the bill, the need for new legislation, the various provisions of the bill, and possible amendments to it.

This report discusses the amendments, which are usually considered not in the House, but in the Committee of the Whole, a parliamentary device designed to expedite the amendment process.

This report consists of amendments on the house floor: Summary of Major Restrictions.

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This report provides background on the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) agricultural export programs and relevant issues for Congress. U.S. agricultural exports have long been a bright spot in the U.S. balance of trade, with exports exceeding imports in every year since 1960.

This report is on Annual Appropriations Acts: Consideration During Lame-Duck Sessions. The considerations of annual appropriations have been an important element of sum, but not all, of these lame-duck sessions.

This report contains the safety valve and substantial assistance exceptions on the federal mandatory minimum sentences.

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This report provides information on congressional practices with respect to the duration of continuing resolution, including the use of full-year measures, and focuses particularly on the period covering FY 1998-FY 2010.

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This report first describes the select committees on intelligence and then the former Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, often cited as a model for a counterpart on intelligence.

This report provides an overview of the everglades restoration and the river of grass land acquisition.

This report surveys the homestead exemption laws of the 50 states and the District of Columbia with an emphasis on the amount of the exemptions and the extent to which debtors may choose between federal and state exemptions.

This report provides a brief overview of the history of the negotiations between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, a review of the negotiations since 2008, and a description of some of the issues involved in the talks.

This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) report focuses on the Registered Apprenticeship system, through which the U.S. Department of Labor (or a recognized state apprenticeship agency) certifies a program as meeting certain federal requirements related to duration, intensity, and benefit to the apprentice. The report also discusses federal programs for which supporting apprenticeship activities is an allowable, but not required, use of funds.

This report discusses the practice of "pairing" for votes in the House of Representatives. Under certain procedural circumstances, a Member who is absent during a vote on the House floor may arrange with a Member on the opposite side of a specific question (who will be present) to announce that the Member who is present is forming a "pair" with the absent Member, thus allowing the absent Member to have his intended vote recorded.

This report discusses minimum quorum requirements established by House Rule XI, clause 2 for eight areas of committee activity.

This report briefly discusses the selection of witnesses for House committee hearings. House committees and subcommittees pay careful attention to which viewpoints will be represented, who should testify, and the order and format for presenting witnesses. Witnesses do not have an inherent right to appear at a hearing but must be invited by a committee or subcommittee in order to testify; committees and subcommittees may also subpoena reluctant witnesses to appear at a hearing.