Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on the military, foreign relations, trade, and much more. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report, you can request it from your senator or representative. These reports were discovered by Open CRS and Secrecy News:

• The Helium-3 Shortage: Supply, Demand, and Options for Congress
• China’s Steel Industry and Its Impact on the United States: Issues for Congress
• Authority of State and Local Police to Enforce Federal Immigration Law
• Statutory Damage Awards in Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Cases Involving Copyrighted Sound Recordings: Recent Legal Developments
• North Korea: Legislative Basis for U.S. Economic Sanctions
• China’s Sovereign Wealth Fund: Developments and Policy Implications
• Defense: FY2011 Authorization and Appropriations
• Federal Conspiracy Law: A Brief Overview
• Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance
• Agricultural Disaster Assistance
• Budget Reconciliation Measures Enacted Into Law: 1980-2010
• Canada-U.S. Relations
• Clean Air Issues in the 111th Congress
• Comparison of the Current World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program and the World Trade Center Health Program Proposed by Title I of H.R. 847
• Congressional Budget Office: Appointment and Tenure of the Director and Deputy Director
• FEMA Disaster Housing: From Sheltering to Permanent Housing
• Gun Control Legislation
• Interagency Contracting: An Overview of Federal Procurement and Appropriations Law
• International Travel by Congress: Legislation in the 111th Congress, Background, and Potential Policy Options
• Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks
• Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests
• Legislative Branch Revolving Funds
• Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress
• Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress
• Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress
• Pending U.S. and EU Free Trade Agreements with South Korea: Possible Implications for Automobile and Other Manufacturing Industries
• Public Safety Communications and Spectrum Resources: Policy Issues for Congress
• Spectrum Policy: Public Safety and Wireless Communications Interference
• Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion
• The "Deeming Resolution": A Budget Enforcement Tool
• The 2010 Oil Spill: Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act
• The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11
• The European Union: Questions and Answers
• The House of Representatives Apportionment Formula: An Analysis of Proposals for Change and Their Impact on States
• The Marines' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV): Background and Issues for Congress
• U.S. Security Assistance to Lebanon
• Venezuela: Issues in the 111th Congress
• Veterans' Benefits: Burial Benefits and National Cemeteries

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.