Federal Farm Promotion ("Check-off") Programs (open access)

Federal Farm Promotion ("Check-off") Programs

This report discusses legislation establishing national generic promotion ("check-off') programs for 20 specified farm commodities. Thirteen of the 20 authorized programs are now in effect.
Date: May 3, 1996
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The 1996 Farm Bill: Comparisons of Selected Provisions with Previous Law (open access)

The 1996 Farm Bill: Comparisons of Selected Provisions with Previous Law

Final congressional approval was given to H.R. 2854, the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act, otherwise known as the "1996 farm bill," on March 28, 1996. President Clinton signed the bill into law on April 4, 1996 (P.L. 104-127). In tabular format, this CRS report lays out in descriptive, rather than legislative language, the major provisions of the new farm bill in contrast to preceding law.
Date: April 4, 1996
Creator: Library of Congress. Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division. Food and Agriculture Section.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wheat, Feed Grains, Cotton, Rice, and Oilseeds Provisions of the Enacted 1996 Farm Bill (open access)

Wheat, Feed Grains, Cotton, Rice, and Oilseeds Provisions of the Enacted 1996 Farm Bill

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Date: May 20, 1996
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agricultural Marketing and Regulatory Provisions of the 1996 Farm Bill (open access)

Agricultural Marketing and Regulatory Provisions of the 1996 Farm Bill

The Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127), signed into law on April 4, for the first time grants the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) broad-based authority to establish national generic promotion ("check-off") programs for virtually any agricultural commodity. Formerly, individual programs first had to be authorized expressly by Congress. The new law also explicitly authorizes the establishment of new check-off programs for rapeseed and canola, kiwifruit, and popcorn. Other provisions require USDA to establish a new meat and poultry inspection advisory committee; deal with the collection of user fees for the inspection of agricultural imports; and authorize new guidelines to protect horses being transported to slaughter facilities, among other things.
Date: April 30, 1996
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Grazing Fees: An Overview (open access)

Grazing Fees: An Overview

This report briefly discusses charging fees for grazing private livestock on federal lands, which is a long-standing but contentious practice. Generally, livestock producers who use federal lands want to keep fees low, while conservation groups and others believe fees should be raised to approximate "fair market value."
Date: May 21, 1996
Creator: Cody, Betsy A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Pesticide Legislation: Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (open access)

Pesticide Legislation: Food Quality Protection Act of 1996

The 104th congress enacted significant changes to the Federal Insecticide, fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), governing U.S. sale and use of pesticide products, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which limits pesticide residues on food. The vehicle of these changes was H.R. 1627, the "Food Quality Protection Act of 1996" (FQPA), enacted August 3, 1996, as Public Law 104-170. Under FIFRA, the new law will facilitate registrations and reregistrations of pesticides for special (so-called"minor") uses and authorize collection of maintenance fees of support pesticide reregistration. Food safety provisions will establish a single standard of safety for pesticide residue on raw and processed foods; provide information through large food retail stores to consumers about the health risks of pesticide residues and how to avoid them; preempt state and local food safety laws if they are based on concentrations of pesticide residues below recently established federal residue limits(called"tolerances"); and ensure that tolerances protect the health of infants and children.
Date: September 11, 1996
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Survey of Grazing Programs in Western States (open access)

Survey of Grazing Programs in Western States

This report sets out in chart form a survey of grazing programs on state-owned lands in 16 western states. It presents information on acreage, numbers of permits or leases, and fees for state grazing programs. It also contains information on state policies relating to various features such as non-use, range improvements, and subleasing. The Report is based on telephone interviews with state grazing program officials.
Date: January 30, 1996
Creator: Baldwin, Pamela & Cody, Betsy A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Pesticide Policy Issues (open access)

Pesticide Policy Issues

On August 3, 1996, President Clinton signed P.L. 104-170, which contains significant amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Although it does not repeal the Delaney Clause, the new law removes pesticide residues from its purview. It requires EPA to set "safe" tolerances for residues of pesticides on both raw and processed food to provide "a reasonable certainty of no harm" from exposure to the pesticide residue, other dietary residues, and non-food sources. It also will expedite pesticide registration under FIFRA for minor uses; improve data collection on the effect of pesticides in children's diets; and prohibit states from regulating food based on pesticide residue concentrations below recently established federal tolerances.
Date: December 4, 1996
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The 1995 Farm Bill: Research, Education, and Extension Issues (open access)

The 1995 Farm Bill: Research, Education, and Extension Issues

The House Agriculture Committee has proposed extending Title XVI of the 1990 farm act (P.L. 101-624) for two years. Currently, the title will expire at the end of 1995. The title includes funding authority for the U.s. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) in-house research programs, as well as federal support for cooperative research, higher education, extension programs in the States, and several research grant programs. This report discusses efforts underway to extend this title and reform future legislation. It also outlines federal spending in these areas.
Date: November 30, 1996
Creator: Rawson, Jean M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Clean Air Option: Cash for Clunkers (open access)

A Clean Air Option: Cash for Clunkers

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 encourage states to pursue market-based approaches to improve air quality. An Accelerated Vehicle Retirement (AVR) program, commonly referred to as "Cash for Clunkers," is designed to provide an economic incentive for the owners of highly polluting vehicles to retire their automobiles permanently from use and to provide greater flexibility for private industry to reduce emissions by sponsoring such a program. The implementation of AVR programs can be controversial. This report discusses the AVR program debate and includes information on completed AVR pilot projects in selected states.
Date: September 16, 1996
Creator: Bearden, David M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global Climate Change: Adequacy of Commitments Under the U.N. Framework Convention and the Berlin Mandate (open access)

Global Climate Change: Adequacy of Commitments Under the U.N. Framework Convention and the Berlin Mandate

This report discusses the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) convened July 8-19, 1996, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Date: October 25, 1996
Creator: Morrissey, Wayne A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global Climate Change (open access)

Global Climate Change

This report discusses the effect of human activities on global climate change. Human activities, particularly burning of fossil fuels, have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace gases, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane, and nitrous oxide.
Date: December 4, 1996
Creator: Justus, John R. & Morrissey, Wayne A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Regulatory Issues (open access)

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Regulatory Issues

For two decades, scientists have been warning that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Halons (bromine-containing fluorocarbons) may deplete the stratospheric ozone shield that screens out some of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays and thus regulates the amounts which reach the Earth's surface. CFCs have been used as refrigerants, solvents, foam blowing agents, and outside the United States as aerosol propellants; Halons are used primarily as firefighting agents. Increased radiation could result in an increase in skin cancers, suppression of the human immune system, and decreased productivity of terrestrial and aquatic organisms, including some commercially important crops.
Date: November 4, 1996
Creator: Gushee, David E. & Parker, Larry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cattle Prices: Questions and Answers (open access)

Cattle Prices: Questions and Answers

After 7 years of relatively high returns, cattle producers by 1994 were experiencing steeply falling prices--mainly caused by abundant supplies of cattle destined for U.S. feedlots. Record-high grain prices and dry pastures amplified the problem. Because of the lengthy biological cycle governing cattle production, large numbers will be coming onto the market for some time, as producers undertake the slow process of curtailing herd expansion.
Date: November 14, 1996
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Norwegian Commercial Whaling: Issues for Congress (open access)

Norwegian Commercial Whaling: Issues for Congress

On May 16, 1996, 23 Members of Congress sent a letter to President Clinton expressing their concern over Norway's announcement that it intended to permit its whalers to kill as many as 425 minke whales that year. The co-signers urged the President "to take decisive action to prevent Norway from resuming its illicit whale harvesting," including the possible use of economic sanctions. For its 1997 hunt, Norway has increased its quota to 580 animals.
Date: December 31, 1996
Creator: Ek, Carl
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (open access)

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is an area rich in fauna, flora, and oil potential, where development has been debated for over 36 years. Current law forbids oil and gas leasing. This report discusses debate over whether or not to open the ANWR up for development and includes discussion of various legislative options under consideration.
Date: September 5, 1996
Creator: Corn, M. Lynne; Kumins, Lawrence C. & Baldwin, Pamela
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Federal Budget Process: A Brief Outline (open access)

The Federal Budget Process: A Brief Outline

In a sense the term "budget process" is a misnomer when applied to the federal government. Budgeting for the federal government is not a single process; rather it consists of a number of processes that have evolved separately and which occur with varying degrees of coordination. This report, and the accompanying flow chart, attempt to clarify the role played by each of the component parts of the budget process as well as how they operate together.
Date: April 26, 1996
Creator: Saturno, James V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Line Item Veto Act (open access)

The Line Item Veto Act

The Line Item Veto Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-130, 110 Stat. 1200), gives the President expanded rescission authority by changing the burden of action and coverage. Under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (88 Stat. 332), the President must obtain the support of both Houses within a specified time period for a rescission to become permanent, while the new law puts the burden on Congress to disapprove presidential rescission proposals within a 30-day period. Along with rescission of discretionary appropriations, the new law subjects any new item of direct spending (entitlement) and certain limited tax benefits to cancellation as well.
Date: November 26, 1996
Creator: Fisher, Louis & McMurtry, Virginia A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Brief Introduction to the Federal Budget Process (open access)

A Brief Introduction to the Federal Budget Process

This report provides a brief introduction to the federal budget process. Key budget concepts and terminology are defined and explained. The separate procedures that make up the federal budget process are identified and their salient features described. While a complete understanding of federal budgeting probably can be obtained only after much observation and study of the process in operation, broad exposure to its rudiments is a useful first step. Various resources "for additional reading" are identified at the end of this report, which the reader may find helpful in exploring the subject in greater depth.
Date: November 13, 1996
Creator: Keith, Robert
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Line Item Veto Act: Procedural Issues (open access)

The Line Item Veto Act: Procedural Issues

At various times, Congress has given the President statutory authority not to spend appropriated funds. That authority was elaborated and made more systematic with the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which permitted the President to delay the expenditure of funds (deferral authority) and to cancel funds (rescission authority). To rescind funds, the President needed the support of both houses within 45 days.
Date: December 2, 1996
Creator: Fisher, Louis & McMurtry, Virginia A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
State Techniques to Blunt the Governor's Item-Veto Power (open access)

State Techniques to Blunt the Governor's Item-Veto Power

The Line Item Veto Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-130) authorizes the President to cancel discretionary budget authority, new entitlements, and limited tax benefits. This authority became available on January 1, 1997; will Congress now resort to a variety of techniques and strategies to circumscribe the President's power? Legislators and legislative committees at the state level have used various tactics to counteract, blunt, or neutralize the governor's item-veto power.
Date: December 12, 1996
Creator: Fisher, Louis
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Line Item Veto Act of 1996: Lessons from the States (open access)

Line Item Veto Act of 1996: Lessons from the States

The Line Item Veto Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-130) authorizes the President to cancel discretionary budget authority, new entitlements, and limited tax benefits. When this authority becomes available on January 1, 1997, it will change the dynamics among all three branches of government. In response to presidential decisions to cancel certain provisions, Congress may change the way it drafts bills and committee reports. Lawsuits will bring these presidential and congressional actions before federal courts, raising a number of constitutional and statutory questions.
Date: December 26, 1996
Creator: Fisher, Louis
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy (open access)

Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy

Concern has been growing that the pace of U.S. technological advancement is declining, with negative consequences for U.S. economic growth, productivity, and international competitiveness. Because technology can contribute to economic growth and productivity increases, congressional interest has focused on how to augment private sector technological development. Legislative activity over the past decade has created a policy for technology development, albeit an ad hoc one. Because of the lack of consensus on the scope and direction of a national policy, Congress has taken an incremental approach aimed at creating new mechanisms to facilitate technological advancement in particular areas and making changes and improvements as necessary.
Date: December 2, 1996
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Property Rights: Comparison of H.R. 9 as Passed and S. 605 as Reported (open access)

Property Rights: Comparison of H.R. 9 as Passed and S. 605 as Reported

The leading property rights bills in the Congress are the Contract with America-derived H.R. 9 (Division B), as passed by the House in March, 1995, and S. 605, as reported from the Committee on the Judiciary.
Date: March 7, 1996
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library