This report provides an overview of federal budget issues, focusing on recent fiscal policy changes. It discusses the major policy proposals contained in the President's FY2015 budget and the House and Senate budget resolutions and also addresses major short- and long-term fiscal challenges.

This report presents policy and oversight issues for Congress arising from maritime territorial disputes involving China in the South China Sea (SCS), East China Sea (ECS), and an additional dispute over whether China has a right under international law to regulate U.S. and other foreign military activities in its maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

This report looks at how Article V of the Constitution allows Congress to propose amendments -- specifically the process of organizing an Article V Convention, a method that has never been used and which is only briefly outlined in the Constitution.

The report discusses the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-Related Congressional Actions in the 112th Congress. The policymakers, including some in Congress, have long called for varying degrees and types of reform to the FCC. Most proposals fall into two categories: (1) procedural changes made within the FCC or through congressional action that would affect the agency's operations or (2) substantive policy changes requiring congressional action that would affect how the agency regulates different services and industry sectors.

This report provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Navy's irregular warfare (IW) and counterterrorism (CT) operations. News reports about the May 1, 2011, U.S. military operation in Pakistan that killed Osama Bin Laden state that the operation was carried out by a team of 20 to 25 Navy special operations forces, known as SEALs, specifically an elite unit known as Seal Team 6.

This report discusses the idea that all Americans should be able to afford access to the telecommunications network; this is commonly called the “universal service concept” and can trace its origins back to the 1934 Communications Act. The current policy debate has focused on five concerns: the scope of the program; who should contribute and what methodology should be used to fund the program; eligibility criteria for benefits; concerns over possible program fraud, waste, and abuse; and the impact of the Antideficiency Act (ADA) on the USF.

This report discusses elements of this controversy, providing background on stationary sources of GHG pollution and identifying options Congress has at its disposal to address the issues.

This report discusses a plan announced by EPA in January 2005, called the Air Compliance Agreement, that would produce air quality monitoring data on animal agriculture emissions from a small number of farms, while at the same time protecting all participants (including farms where no monitoring takes place) through a “safe harbor” from liability under certain provisions of federal environmental laws.

The Social Security system is projected to have long-range funding problems. Although the system’s income currently exceeds its expenditures, its trust funds are projected to be depleted in 2037. Concern about the problem and a belief that the remedy lies partly in economic growth that could be bolstered by changes to the system have led to introduction of a number of bills incorporating varying degrees of reform. This report describes the funding problem in some detail, summarizes many of the reform bills introduced in the 106th Congress, and provides a list of other related CRS reports.

The 2001 recession was unusually mild and brief by historical standards. At 120 months, the expansion that preceded it had been the longest in U.S. history. Is this a coincidence? A body of research concludes that it is not. This report discusses several theories for what caused this phenomenon.

This report serves as a primer on class action litigation in the federal courts. It begins by discussing the purpose of class actions, as well as the risks class actions may pose to defendants, class members, and society at large. The report also discusses the prerequisites that a class action must satisfy before a court may "certify" it--that is, before a federal court may allow a case to proceed as a class action. An Appendix to the report also contains a reference chart that graphically illustrates those prerequisites for class certification. The report then discusses Rule 23's restrictions on the parties' ability to settle a certified class action. The report concludes by identifying ways in which Congress could modify the legal framework governing class actions if it were so inclined, with a particular focus on a bill currently pending in the 115th Congress that would effectuate a variety of changes to the class action system.

This report provides answers to frequently asked questions concerning abortions that are performed in the second trimester of a woman's pregnancy because Congress and many state legislatures are considering legislation that would limit or ban abortions in midpregnancy. This report does not discuss constitutional or legal questions nor does it discusses differing state regulations regarding such abortions.

This report provides information about congressional votes regarding their salaries from 1990-2018.

This report discusses Congressional salaries and action related to them in Congress from fiscal year 2010 through pay projections for fiscal year 2019. It also includes a historical table of salary levels for Members of Congress from 1992 to 2018.

This report provides data regarding the direct overt U.S. aid appropriations and military reimbursements to Pakistan.

This report discusses the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), an amendment to the Consumer Credit Protection Act added in order to "eliminate abusive debt collection practices by debt collectors." Under the law, third party debt collectors are prohibited from threatening or harassing debtors, and their contacts with debtors are restricted.

This report discusses the 2008 farm bill (the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, P.L. 110-246), which provided mandatory funding for many programs. Some of these programs had budget baseline beyond the end of the farm bill in FY2012, while others did not.

This report provides a brief history of FDA drug regulation, describes FDA's early risk management programs, and focuses on the agency's current risk management authorities, specifically risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS). The report also discusses issues that have arisen as a result of REMS, particularly the impact on generic drug competition. It does not discuss antitrust issues raised by restricted distribution systems.

This report provides brief summary of the main provisions of the principal Federal consumer protection laws enacted from 1906 to 1968.

This report describes major laws and executive orders from 1963 to 1972 that affected women's rights.

This report lists those additions and changes by military action and provides the full text of their official citations. The citations were provided by the military awards offices or internet websites of the respective services. A list of these offices and internet links is provided at the end of this report. In some instances, Congress approved legislation to remove statutory time limits in order for the Medal to be awarded.

This report provides background on payment limits related to farm commodity programs and discusses relevant legislation. The policy issue is mostly about farm size rather than the financial need of recipients, although the two may be related. Limits on commodity program payments have been imposed since 1970. The 2002 farm bill retains the former limits, adds limits for the new counter-cyclical program, and incorporates new commodities.

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This report reviews recent incidents of fraud and deception relating to seafood and examines several policy issues. Congress may become involved in oversight of how federal agencies are addressing these issues, and legislation related to these concerns may be introduced.