Agricultural interests have been following trade policy developments against a backdrop of weak foreign demand and large world supplies of agricultural products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that the value of U.S. agricultural exports fell between FY1996 (a record year) and FY1999 by almost $11 billion. USDA forecasts agricultural exports at $50.5 billion in FY2000 and $51.5 billion in FY2001. However, the projected agricultural trade surpluses for those years, of $11.5 billion and $12 billion, would be less than half the FY1996 surplus of $27.2 billion. Many agricultural groups and their supporters in Congress believe that the sector's future prosperity depends upon such U.S. trade policies as: 1) encouraging China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), with its binding rules and responsibilities; 2) exempting agriculture from U.S. unilateral economic sanctions; 3) fully using export and food aid programs; and 4) aggressively battling foreign-imposed barriers to the movement of U.S. farm products. A few U.S. farm groups are wary of such approaches.

This is a select chronology of, and a finding guide for information on, congressional and presidential actions and documents related to major budget events in calendar year 2000, covering the FY2001 budget. Brief information is provided for the President’s budget, congressional budget resolutions, appropriations measures (regular, continuing, supplementals, and rescissions), budget reconciliation, House and Senate votes, line-item vetoes, publications, testimony, charts, and tables.

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on the District of Columbia Appropriations.

Electronic commercial transactions over the Internet, or “e-commerce,” have grown so fast over the last five years that many experts continue to underestimate its growth and development. Whether retail business-to-customer or business-to-business transactions, e-commerce shows no signs of slowing down. In turn, policymakers both in the United States and abroad are likely to face increasingly complex issues of security, privacy, taxation, infrastructure development and other issues in 2000 and beyond. This report will be updated periodically.

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Recent events surrounding the Presidential election have led to increased scrutiny of voting procedures in the United States. This report focuses on the constitutional authority and limitations that might be relevant to attempts by Congress to standardize these and other procedures.

This report provides an introduction to the research, development, and commercialization of alternative vehicle technologies, specifically electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. It provides a description of the technology, and discusses issues such as cost, maintenance and fueling infrastructure, and performance for each type of vehicle. The report also discusses current congressional action on issues affecting these vehicles, as well as actions by the Administration and state and local governments. It will be updated as events warrant.

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This report discusses the content of and issues related to the ABM Treaty Succession and Demarcation Agreements signed in September 1997.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether under section 312.206(a) of the Tax Code a county commissioners court is authorized to enter into a tax abatement agreement only with the owner of taxable real property, and related questions (RQ-0212-JC)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the municipal employee retirement fund of the City of Fort Worth is a "fire fighter's or police officer's pension fund" under section 143.073 of the Local Government Code, for purposes of compensating a fire fighter or police officer absent for a line of duty injury or illness.

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the change of century rollover, focusing on: (1) the reporting structure established by the government to obtain information on year 2000-related failures during the rollover period; (2) examples of year 2000 errors and their resolution; and (3) lessons from the year 2000 effort that can be carried forward to improve the management of information technology activities."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) and its planning activities under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, focusing on: (1) VETS' strategic plan for fiscal year (FY) 2000 through FY 2005 and its FY 2001 performance plan; (2) the adequacy of VETS' plans to address how it will operate in the one-stop center environment; and (3) issues related to the quality of VETS' performance data."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO discussed the Department of Defense's (DOD) logistics reengineering initiatives, focusing on the: (1) DOD's reengineering efforts; (2) potential effect of reengineering efforts on combat forces; and (3) factors that could limit the achievement of the reengineering goals."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the security protection of executive branch officials in fiscal years 1997 through 1999, focusing on: (1) how many federal government officials were protected, who protected them, and how many security personnel protected them; (2) how much did it cost to protect these officials; (3) under what legal authorities were agencies providing security protection; (4) under what circumstances were officials protected; (5) how agencies were preparing threat assessments, and the implications of standardizing and centralizing threat assessments; (6) what training did protective personnel receive, and what are the implications of standardizing and centralizing security protection training; (7) what are the implications of centralizing protection services under one agency; and (8) what are the views of the protected officials regarding the need for and adequacy of their protection."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed Department of Agriculture (USDA) financial management issues, focusing on USDA's challenges in: (1) implementing the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 and related accounting standards; (2) reconciling its Fund Balance with Treasury accounts; (3) addressing weaknesses in the Forest Service's financial accounting and reporting; and (4) correcting certain other material internal control weaknesses."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) computer security weaknesses, focusing on: (1) FAA's history of computer security weaknesses; (2) the adequacy of FAA's efforts to prevent unauthorized access to data--specifically focusing on personnel security, facilities' physical security, systems security, security program planning and management, and service continuity; and (3) the effectiveness of processes implemented by the agency for detecting, responding to, and reporting anomalies and computer misuse."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the use of general fund revenues as part of Social Security and Medicare reform, focusing on general revenue financing of the Medicare program."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Energy's (DOE) efforts to clean up its Paducah, Kentucky, uranium enrichment plant, focusing on: (1) DOE's planned activities, cost, and schedule for cleaning up the site; (2) the challenges in accomplishing the cleanup plan; and (3) whether the cleanup plan includes all areas at the site requiring cleanup."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the role of the Department of Defense (DOD) in reducing the supply of illegal drugs entering the United States, focusing on: (1) the decline in DOD's aerial and maritime support allocated to counterdrug activities from fiscal years 1992 through 1999 and some of the consequences and reasons for the decline; (2) the obstacles DOD faces in helping foreign governments counter illegal drug activities; and (3) DOD's counterdrug strategy and the need for performance measures to judge its counterdrug program effectiveness."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the reprocessing and reuse of medical devices marketed for single use, focusing on: (1) the extent of single-use devices (SUD) reprocessing; (2) the health risks associated with SUD reprocessing; (3) the cost savings from SUD reprocessing; and (4) the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) oversight of SUD reprocessing."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Gambling Impact Study Commission's (NGISC) case study on gambling, focusing on: (1) the economic effects of gambling, particularly on employment, bankruptcy, and tax revenues and community investment; (2) the social effects of gambling; (3) the prevalence of pathological gambling; and (4) whether communities offer incentives to attract gambling establishments."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's acquisition strategy for its Suite of Integrated Infrared Countermeasures Systems, focusing on whether the requirements of the Army's helicopters."