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 foreign relations, economics, politics, 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 Secrecy News and Open CRS:

• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA): Congressional Interest and Executive Enforcement
• History of the Joint Committee on Reduction of Non-Essential Federal Expenditures (1941-1974), with Observations on Oversight Today
• Criminal Prohibitions on the Publication of Classified Defense Information
• "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": The Law and Military Policy on Same-Sex Behavior
• Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance
• Africa: U.S. Foreign Assistance
• Biomass Feedstocks for Biopower: Background and Selected Issues
• Congressional Nominations to U.S. Service Academies: An Overview and Resources for Outreach and Management
• Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities
• Defense Acquisition: Use of Lead System Integrators (LSIs)--Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress
• Intelligence Issues for Congress
• Iran Sanctions
• Iraq Casualties: U.S. Military Forces and Iraqi Civilians, Police, and Security Forces
• Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress
• Jordan: Background and U.S. Relations
• Kenya: Current Conditions and the Challenges Ahead
• Legal Protections for Subcontractors on Federal Prime Contracts
• Military Uniform Procurement: Questions and Answers
• Pesticide Use and Water Quality: Are the Laws Complementary or in Conflict?
• Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): Overview and Issues
• Rwanda: Background and Current Developments
• Small Business Administration HUBZone Program
• Somalia: Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace
• Sudan: The Crisis in Darfur and Status of the North-South Peace Agreement
• Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions
• The 2007-2009 Recession: Similarities to and Differences from the Past
• The Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and Current Developments
• The Inapplicability of Limitations on Subcontracting to "Preference Contracts" for Small Businesses: Washington-Harris Group
• The TANF Emergency Contingency Fund
• The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues
• Uganda: Current Conditions and the Crisis in North Uganda
• United States Fire Administration: An Overview
• Veterans' Benefits: Current Life Insurance Programs

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.

Images of An Active Military

Connotations of military service to those who have not experienced it can rely heavily on scenes and stories passed down by friends and family histories, and through the documents and images preserved by institutions and individuals alike. The collective memory about the military and active combat can become clouded, however, by portrayals that are purposefully more commercially-minded.

U.S. Army Sgt. Stephanie Tremmel, in Afghanistan (link)

Whether films based on popular military histories -- like the Band of Brothers series based on Stephen Ambrose's book, and Oliver Stone's biographical film Born on The Fourth of July, from the Ron Kovic autobiography -- or though efforts to translate contemporary events within newer entertainment formats, as with Call of Duty: Black Ops, a video game released this Tuesday, the effect of a more commercialized view of military service can be a help and hindrance to understanding how well the modern world understands and interprets military service.

Members of the 2-504th Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, in Iraq (link)

While these portrayals are passionate, and often founded on fact, an unromanticized history of military service is essential to understanding the value and responsibilities of the country's volunteer military service. To that end, one tool that provides actual photography and footage of our modern, active military is the Department of Defense database, DefenseImagery.mil.

Reenlistment ceremony for the 4th Infantry Division, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, Afghanistan (link)

DefenseImagery.mil, whose photographs populate this post, is a collection of still imagery and film dating from 1982-forward. A search by military branch, service member name (when noted), or by country or area of deployment retrieves downloadable digital imagery. Print copies of imagery, or copies of videos, can be purchased for a fee.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenya Spratt, in Afghanistan (link)

The photos, combined with historic collections from the Library of Congress's American Memory, provide an even perspective on the realities of military service, as well as the opportunity to recognize common scenes of military life that have spanned the history of the United States. If nothing else, they allow viewers to escape the hyperbole of war as a commercial production, and let them instead see the faces of men and women who have and who continute to serve the country though military service.

As with any image database, users should be aware of, and follow, the terms of use for this collection.

Happy Veteran's Day.

GAO Reports and Releases

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This past week GAO investigated defense, environment, international , and other issues. If you would like to know more about GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Defense Acquisitions: Issues to Be Considered as DOD Modernizes Its Fleet of Tactical Wheeled Vehicles. GAO-11-83, November 5.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-83
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1183high.pdf
• Human Capital: Opportunities Exist for DOD to Enhance Its Approach for Determining Civilian Senior Leader Workforce Needs. GAO-11-136, November 4.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-136
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11136high.pdf
• Nuclear Commerce: Governmentwide Strategy Could Help Increase Commercial Benefits from U.S. Nuclear Cooperation Agreements with Other Countries. GAO-11-36, November 4.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-36
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1136high.pdf
• H-2B Visa Program: Closed Civil and Criminal Cases Illustrate Instances of H-2B Workers Being Targets of Fraud and Abuse. GAO-10-1053, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-1053
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d101053high.pdf
• Environmental Protection Agency: EPA Needs to Complete a Strategy for Its Library Network to Meet Users' Needs. GAO-10-947, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-947
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d10947high.pdf
• Live Animal Imports: Agencies Need Better Collaboration to Reduce the Risk of Animal-Related Diseases. GAO-11-9, November 8.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-9
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d119high.pdf
• Food and Drug Administration: Response to Heparin Contamination Helped Protect Public Health; Controls That Were Needed for Working with External Entities Were Recently Added. GAO-11-95, October 29.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-95
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1195high.pdf
• Financial Audit: Bureau of the Public Debt's Fiscal Years 2010 and 2009 Schedules of Federal Debt. GAO-11-52, November 8.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-52
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1152high.pdf
• NATO Partnerships: DOD Needs to Assess U.S. Assistance in Response to Changes to the Partnership for Peace Program. GAO-10-1015, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-1015
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d101015high.pdf
• Space Acquisitions: Challenges in Commercializing Technologies Developed under the Small Business Innovation Research Program. GAO-11-21, November 10.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-21
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1121high.pdf
• Financial Audit: IRS's Fiscal Years 2010 and 2009 Financial Statements. GAO-11-142, November 10.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-142
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11142high.pdf
  

Correspondence

• Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Fiscal Year 2010 Airport and Airway Fund Excise Taxes. GAO-11-120R, November 4.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-120R
• Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Fiscal Year 2010 Highway Trust Fund Excise Taxes. GAO-11-121R, November 4.
  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-121R

National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility

The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility was created by President Obama to address the "nation's fiscal challenges" ("About the Commission") also known as the federal debt. Specifically, the goal is to balance the federal budget by 2015.

Today the co-chairs released the first proposal. The proposal comes as a Power Point slide show or a written explanation of each of the cuts equaling $200 billion. These cuts come through elimination or merging of departments, pay freezes, and much more. This is just the first pass, the commission has been charged with submitting a final report by December 1, 2010 and it requires approval of at least 14 of the 18 bipartisan members.

Now this was just released this afternoon, so the media coverage is just starting, but here are a few major newspaper's start on this story:

• New York Times: "Panel Weighs Deep Cuts in Tax Breaks and Spending"
• Wall Street Journal: "Panel Chairmen Recommend Cutting Federal Spending by $200 Billion"
• Washington Post: "Deficit Panel proposes curbs on Social Security, major cuts in spending, tax breaks"

Want to learn more the budget and debt? Check out the library's guide.

Good Reading: The Government Book Talk Blog

A blog begun in the early months of 2010 by Government Printing Office employee Jim Cameron, Government Book Talk is an excellent resource on new and historic government publications to show readers how "Gov Pubs," as we call them, are not merely shelves of statistical abstracts and Congressional hearings. In no time at all, Cameron has put together an intelligent, readable resource while unearthing a host of insightful documents on U.S. government history and fascinating slice-of-life materials.


Some of the items Government Book Talk has featured include pieces on the use of Balloon Bombs during World War II, a Comic Book History of Printing, documents on Urban Landscaping and Historic Orchards, and a multi-war perspective on Prisoner Interrogation. All of which are, of course, publications from the federal government.

If you enjoy some of the stories we've published that highlight specific government resources and historic events, you'll want to subscribe to Government Book Talk for a great look into the lives and history behind these fascinating government documents.