Congressional Research Service Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us CRS reports on the FISA, wind power, appropriations, and much more. While 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. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by Secrecy News and OpenCRS:

• The Global Nuclear Detection Architecture: Issues for Congress
• The Enron Loophole
• Speculation and Energy Prices: Legislative Responses
• Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2009 Appropriations
• Global Health: Appropriations to USAID Programs from FY2001 through FY2008
• U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework and Status of Forces Agreement: Congressional Response
• International HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Key Changes to U.S. Programs and Funding
• "Phantom Traffic" -- Problems Billing for the Termination of Telephone Calls: Issues for Congress
• Health Care for Noncitizens in Immigration Detention
• Intellectual Property in Industrial Designs: Issues in Innovation and Competition
• Forest Carbon Markets: Potential and Drawbacks
• Foreign Investment and National Security: Economic Considerations
• Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007: The Role of the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate
• Medicare: Payments to Physicians
• Building an Interagency Cadre of National Security Professionals: Proposals, Recent Experience, and Issues for Congress
• The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: A Sketch of Selected Issues
• Membership of the 110th Congress: A Profile
• Public-Private Partnerships in Highway and Transit Infrastructure Provision
• The Future Role of U.S. Trade Policy: An Overview
• Emergency Unemployment Compensation
• Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's Financial Problems: Frequently Asked Questions

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

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Federal Government

Before I start this blog post I want to state I am not an economist. Yes, I know how to find the GINI index and all sorts of other fun economic data, but I don't always know what it means. That said, here is my attempt to provide some information on what the government is doing in regards to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

First, the Treasury:

• Friday's statement, which is very short and has no details.
• Sunday's statement, which still doesn't have details on exactly how they are going to do it, but does provide specifics on how they are going to move forward during this "current housing correction."

Second, the Federal Reserve:

• Sunday's statement, which is only a paragraph long, but gives the "Federal Reserve Bank of New York the authority to lend to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should such lending prove necessary. "

Third, the Senate:

• Senator Dodd (Chair of Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs) statement on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• H.R.3221 this is the Housing Reform Bill just passed on Friday in the Senate that Senator Dodd is referring to in his statement.
• Senate vote on H.R. 3221

Finally, News Media reaction:

• "Rescue Debate: Paulson Insists Fannie, Freddie Holders Lose" from Wall Street Journal
• "U.S. Unveils Plan to Aid Mortgage Giants: Federal Officials Offer Sweeping Proposal to Help Shore Up Fannie, Freddie" from the Washington Post

Still want more? The library has a collection of Business and Economic guides.

GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as the reconstruction of Afghanistan, email management and federal records, and pension plans of state and local governments. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Afghanistan Reconstruction: Progress Made in Constructing Roads, but Assessments for Determining Impact and a Sustainable Maintenance Program Are Needed. GAO-08-689, July 8.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-689
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08689high.pdf
• Army Working Capital Fund: Actions Needed to Reduce Carryover at Army Depots. GAO-08-714, July 8.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-714
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08714high.pdf
• Department of Energy: New Loan Guarantee Program Should Complete Activities Necessary for Effective and Accountable Program Management. GAO-08-750, July 7.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-750
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08750high.pdf
• Federal Records: National Archives and Selected Agencies Need to Strengthen E-Mail Management. GAO-08-742, June 13.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-742
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08742high.pdf
  
• Telecommunications: FCC Needs to Improve Performance Management and Strengthen Oversight of the High-Cost Program. GAO-08-633, June 13.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-633
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08633high.pdf
• VA Health Care: Ineffective Controls over Medical Center Billings and Collections Limit Revenue from Third-Party Insurance Companies. GAO-08-675, June 10.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-675
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08675high.pdf

Related Product

• Telecommunications: Survey of State Regulatory Commissions (GAO-08-662SP, June 2008), an E-supplement to GAO-08-633. GAO-08-662SP, June 13.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-662SP

Testimonies

• Air Force Procurement: Aerial Refueling Tanker Protest, by Daniel I. Gordon, deputy general counsel, before the Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, House Committee on Armed Services. GAO-08-991T, July 10.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-991T
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08991thigh.pdf
• Capitol Visitor Center: Update on Status of Project's Schedule and Cost as of June 27, 2008, by Terrell G. Dorn, physical infrastructure issues, before the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, House Committee on Appropriations. GAO-08-900T, July 8.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-900T
• State and Local Government Pension Plans: Current Structure and Funded Status, by Barbara D. Bovbjerg, director, education, workforce, and income security, before the Joint Economic Committee. GAO-08-983T, July 10.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-983T
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08983thigh.pdf
• Surface Transportation: Principles Can Guide Efforts to Restructure and Fund Federal Programs, by JayEtta Z. Hecker, director, physical infrastructure issues, before the Senate Committee on Finance. GAO-08-744T, July 10.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-744T
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08744thigh.pdf

Correspondence

• Bureau of Justice Statistics Funding to States to Improve Criminal Records. GAO-08-898R, July 8.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-898R
• Initial Results on Availability of Terrorism Insurance in Specific Geographic Markets. GAO-08-919R, July 11.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-919R
• Management Report: Opportunities for Improvements in FDIC's Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures. GAO-08-863R, July 11.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-863R

Presentation by the Acting Comptroller General

• "Preparing the Accountability Profession for 21st Century Challenges," by Gene L. Dodaro, acting comptroller general, before the Institute of Internal Auditors' 2008 International Conference, in San Francisco, California. GAO-08-1017CG, July 7, 2008
  http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d081017cg.pdf

No jalapeños? No tomatoes? But how can I make salsa?

The FDA has added raw jalapeños and raw serrano peppers to the list of foods for high risk populations (elderly persons, infants and people with impaired immune systems) should avoid, in addition to raw red plum, red Roma, or red round tomatoes grown outside of the areas listed on the web site.

Due to the scale of the problem the Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak has been getting the most press, but there have been 16 additional recalls/alerts since this outbreak began on June 3rd (the full national alert went out on June 6th). Want to read the other recalls? Check out the FDA recalls and alerts web page (which lets you subscribe via email if you are interested).

Want more recalls then just those related to food? Check out recalls.gov, which combines recalls from six federal agencies at one site.

Want a history of this outbreak with some comments from officials? Check out the Washington Post's "Officials Add Jalapeños To Salmonella Warning."

Want more on information on the food supply? Check out the library guide.

G-8 tackles greenhouse gas emissions

The G-8 is meeting this week and has released preliminary information on a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Before we look into this I thought it might be nice to explain a little about the G-8.

The G-8 is a group of eight countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The leaders of these eight countries meet once a year to discuss issues on a global scale (as well as having their representatives meet more often on specific issues). Want to learn more about the summit and the G-8, but in a much simpler form? Check out the kid's page, developed by Japan who is hosting this year's summit.

The big agreement to come out of the summit thus far is in regards to countries cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The last major international agreement on greenhouse gas emissions, the Kyoto Protocol, was never ratified by the United States, and focused on getting industrialized countries to cut emissions by 2012 (see web site for more details). The G-8 statement can be found online, but you will notice that while the discussions mentioned a 50% cut this statement does not set specific goals. For more details, such as press conferences and statements, check out the summit web site.

Want to read more about this statement and reactions from developing countries, such as China and India? Check out the Washington Post's "G-8 Conference Tackles Global Warming Treaty: China, India Still Balk at Efforts to Curb Greenhouse Gases."

Want more on climate change? Check out the library's guide.