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Title: U.S. agricultural trade: An overview
Date: 1987
Summary: The U.S. agricultural trade performance has deteriorated over the past six years. The value of exports has fallen some 40 percent, while import value has risen 20 percent, cutting into what had been a healthy agricultural trade surplus. This report examines the reasons behind the deteriorating agricultural trade performance, recent policy changes to increase U.S. agricultural trade competitiveness, and a number of other options likely to be considered by the 100th Congress.

Title: Title III of the Higher Education Act: FY 1986 budget proposal
Date: 1985
Summary: This paper reviews the current structure of the programs authorized by title III of the Higher Education Act and the structural changes proposed for this title in the FY 1986 budget. Title III programs currently provide funds to institutions of higher education for development projects designed to improve academic and financial management capabilities. The Administration proposes in its FY 1986 budget to eliminate two of the current programs and focus funding on endowment building. The proposed FY 1986 appropriation level of $141,208,000 is the same as the FY 1985 appropriation level.

Title: Transportation for elderly and handicapped people: Programs, regulations, and issues
Date: 1985
Summary: The Federal Government aids transportation-disabled people by providing communities with financial assistance to establish or operate special transportation programs for elderly and handicapped people, and by regulating public transportation services to ensure accessibility by handicapped people. This report reviews the principal financial assistance programs and the most recent Federal regulatory proposal concerning accessibility. It also discusses some current issues related to transportation of elderly and handicapped people.

Title: Trucking regulation: A selected bibliography
Date: 1984
Summary: The following bibliography lists important published information and opinion about the Federal regulation of trucking in the United States. The entries of the bibliography appeared in print from 1975, when the deregulation of Federal control over trucking routes, rates, entry, and exit became a prominent issue nationally, to June 1984, the date of this report.

Title: The subsidization of natural resources in the United States
Date: 1986
Summary: The objective of this report is to review the various ways or forms in which the Federal Government affects the costs of mining and natural resource-based products of the United States. The report describes how current Federal laws and polices affect the market costs of livestock, timber, food and fiber, fisheries, water, hardrock mining, fuel minerals, oil and gas, hydroelectric power, and petroleum substitutes. The analysis is not restricted to any particular definition of subsidy, but rather attempts to identify any domestic circumstances where it would be possible to suggest that natural resource-based products marketed by the United States are not paying the full, immediate cost of producing or consuming that resource. The report also identifies some of the broader forms of assistance provided to U.S. industry that affect all industry, not just natural resources, or are applicable to more than one resource industry category.

Title: The Speaker of the House: His powers and duties
Date: 1987
Summary: The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is widely viewed as symbolizing the power and authority of the House of Representatives. This report, designed to aid in responding to student and constituent requests, summarizes the duties and the influence of the Speaker. The Speaker is most prominently the presiding officer of the House chamber, but he also fulfills at least two other roles. He is the leader of the majority political party in the House, and he is an elected Member of the House, representing a congressional district. This report discusses each of the Speaker's roles and examines why they combine to make the Speaker a powerful and respected institutional leader. The report concludes with a brief bibliography.

Title: The real rate of interest and its measure
Date: 1984
Summary: The real rate of interest is a useful concept that is difficult to measure. This paper examines the conceptual distinction between nominal interest rates and real interest rates. The paper proceeds to discuss problems inherent in the estimation of the real interest rate.

Title: The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings targets: How might they effect the economy
Date: 1986
Summary: This report examines the potential macroeconomic effects of meeting the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit targets. Both expenditure cuts and tax increases are considered, as is the potential for monetary policy to offset contractionary fiscal policy. It concludes that, because of time lags, an economic slowdown may be unavoidable.

Title: The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings sequestration process for FY 1986: A summary of DOD elements in the OMB/CBO and GAO sequestration reports
Date: 1986
Summary: This Alert explains how the Department of Defense is affected by the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings sequestration process, how the President has chosen to use the limited options allowed in the FY 1986 defense budget reduction process, and how the reductions affect the distribution of defense spending.

Title: The Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984
Date: 1984
Summary: The 98th Congress enacted amendments designed to strengthen the 9-year-old child support enforcement programs, a program that is administered by State child support enforcement agencies under the general direction of the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement. In many States the program has been primarily serving families who were receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The new amendments reflect an effort to refocus the program to serve a broader clientele, and speak specifically in terms of serving all children in the United States who are in need of assistance in securing financial support from their parents, regardless of their circumstances. In addition, the amendments require the States to use stringent enforcement tools, including mandatory wage withholding, in cases involving arrearages. Although there is an atmosphere of widespread support for the amendments, there is also recognition that implementation may raise issues for future Congresses. (This paper originally appeared as an article in the October 1984 issue of CRS in Review.)

Title: The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985: Effects on transportation programs spending, FY 1986
Date: 1986
Summary: This paper details the effects of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-177), more generally referred to as the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act, on transportation programs in which the Federal Government is involved.

Title: Tentative 1988 congressional primary dates
Date: 1987
Summary: This report lists the tentative 1988 Congressional Primary dates, chronologically and by state.

Title: Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equity Fund (TIAA-CREF) and the tax bill (H.R. 3838): Issues and analysis
Date: 1986
Summary: The House-passed tax reform bill (H.R. 3838) would have a major impact on the operations of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equity Fund (TIAA-CREF). This paper discusses the issues raised by provisions in H.R. 3838 that would: (1) repeal the organization's tax-exempt status, (2) impose nondiscrimination standards on the retirement plans covering employees of colleges and universities, (3) limit contributions that employees may elect to make before taxes to their retirement plan, (4) coordinate salary deferrals made to the TIAA-CREF plan with the limits on Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), and (5) under certain circumstances, impose a 15 percent excise tax on early withdrawals.

Title: The "gender gap": Differences between men and women in political attitudes and voting behavior
Date: 1983
Summary: This report examines the differences between men and women in their attitudes towards President Reagan, opinions on issues, party identification, turnout and voting behavior in the 1980 and 1982 elections. Poll results collected over the past three decades are used to compare the current differences between men and women in attitudes towards President Reagan, economic policies, social issues and the use of military force with their views towards previous Presidents, the Korean and Vietnam Wars and other foreign and economic policy issues.

Title: Gramm-Rudman-Hollings and Department of Education programs
Date: 1986
Summary: This paper describes the application of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, P.L. 99-177, popularity called "Gramm-Rudman-Hollings," to programs administered by the Department of Education, particularly, it will focus on provisions establishing "emergency powers to eliminate deficits in excess of maximum deficit amounts." All of the programs within the Department's jurisdiction are subject to the automatic spending reduction provisions of this law. Two programs are subject to special treatment, the Guaranteed Student Loan and the Vocational Rehabilitation State grant program. The remaining programs are subject to a uniform percentage reduction, estimated to be 4.3 percent for FY 1986.

Title: The Dow Jones industrial average
Date: 1986
Summary: The Dow Jones Industrial Average is the oldest and most commonly known index of the day-to-day overall price performance of stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange. This stock price index has undergone much change since its inception. This report examines the evolution of the stock index's components, and method of calculation. It also briefly addresses the issue of the index's usefulness.

Title: The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings amendment for budget deficit control: Editorial commentary
Date: 1985
Summary: This illustrative collection of editorials is taken from newspapers monitored by CRS. The sources look at the controversy surrounding the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings amendment to the debt limit increase for the purpose of reducing budget deficits and balancing the budget by 1991. An introductory section contains newspaper articles presenting press coverage on the issue. The articles and editorials are arranged chronologically, with the most recent dates appearing first. [Current Editorial CE79 on budget deficits is also available; it includes editorials on this topic received in Library Services since November 1, 1985.]