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Title
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Video display terminals: The controversy about health and safety issues
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Date
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1984
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Summary
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The possible adverse health effects of chronic occupational exposure to video display terminals (VDT's) are discussed. There persists a controversy about the possible causes of wide range of maladies, including pregnancy disorders, reported by many VDT operators in the United States and Canada. It is not clear at this time whether adverse health effects are caused by low levels of low frequency non-ionizing radiations or other ergonomic factors in the VDT workplace.
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Title
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Outdoor advertising control along federal-aid highways
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Date
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1986
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Summary
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The original legislation created a Federal program to control advertising along federally funded highways was enacted in 1958, but major restructuring occurred in 1965 trhough enactment of Highway Beautification act. Current proposals now before Congress, if enacted, may remove some of the obstacles which have slowed the removal of billboards along Federal-aid highways. This report reviews the Federal program for controlling outdoor advertising along Federal-aid highways: the status of the current program, its evolution, and proposed amendments.
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Title
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Overview of whistleblower protections in federal law
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Date
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1986
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Summary
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This report discusses the protections under federal statutory law for federal employees who engage in "whistleblowing" activities, that is, the disclosure by the employee of illegal or improper government activities. The protections cover most employees of the executive branch of government, and would apply where a covered employee makes a "protected disclosure" for which the agency takes a "personnel action" as a "reprisal" for such disclosure.
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Title
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Unemployment insurance loans: 1983-1985 provisions aiding debtor states
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Date
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1986
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Summary
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The Social Security Amendments of 1983 (P.L 98-21) established several temporary fiscal relief provisions that were aimed at providing incentives to strengthen the solvency of State Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs. These provisions allowed States meeting certain conditions to defer interest payments on UI loans, receive a discounted interest rate, and receive a partial cap on Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) tax credit reductions. Most of these provisions expired on September 30, 1985. This paper describes these provisions.
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Title
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Survey of use by states of general sales and gross receipts taxes, with emphasis on exemption for food and drugs
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Date
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1984
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Summary
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The general sales or gross receipts tax is the largest single producer of State tax revenues for the 50 States combined, accounting for about 31 percent of total State tax collections in fiscal year 1983. In recent years, the trend has been to exempt food and drug purchases from the tax base while increasing the tax rate on the lower base. This report incorporates the changes in this area during the State legislative sessions of 1984.
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Title
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Farm support programs: Cost considerations
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Date
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1986
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Summary
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Net outlays for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's commodity price support programs will reach a record $26 billion or more in fiscal 1986. This report briefly discusses how these programs are funded, who benefits from them, and their cost to taxpayers.
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Title
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Community services block grants
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Date
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1984
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Summary
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The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program began in FY 1982, replacing the Community Services Administration (CSA), a former independent executive branch agency. CSA itself had succeeded the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), a key component of the War of Poverty in the mid-1960s. Most of the local antipoverty agencies which operated under OEO still are functioning under the Community Services Block Grant program. The 98th Congress is considering legislation to reauthorize the CSBG. This paper explains the history the antipoverty program, provides budget information and current program data, and discusses the pending legislation.
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Title
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School lunch program: Brief description, history and data
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Date
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1983
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Summary
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Enacted in 1946, the National School Lunch Act currently provides Federal assistance to support the costs of nearly 4 billion lunches for approximately 23 million school children. This paper provides a brief description and legislative history of the school lunch program and includes historical data on its growth in funding and participation.
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Title
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Interest rates on consumer and commercial loans: Why the difference?
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Date
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1985
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Summary
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This paper, using the period from May 1982 to May 1983 as a case study, will examine the reasons for the inflexibility of rates charged by banks on consumer loans relative to rates charged by banks on business loans. The first half of the paper will attempt to establish the differences, and the reasons for such differences, in changes between consumer loan rates and commercial loan charges. The second half of the paper will analyze the reasons for these differences in light of bank yields on outstanding loans to consumers and businesses from 1966 through 1983. Finally, current data will be examined from the point of view of the conclusions reached in the report.
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Title
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The teacher workforce: Analysis of issues and options for federal action
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Date
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1983
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Summary
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This paper presents an analysis of the current teacher workforce and the factors that affect teacher quality. Issues discussed include teacher labor market trends, teacher preparation and recommendations for change, recruitment and selection factors, and attrition and retention rates. Final comments address Federal policy options in this area.
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Title
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Alternative energy taxes: Industry, regional and national impacts
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Date
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1986
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Summary
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A range of energy tax alternatives are discussed in this report. These tax alternatives cover the recent proposals for taxing energy to raise Treasury revenue and to achieve other energy policy goals. Each is evaluated in the context of various measures of economic impacts, varying from regional to macroeconomic, from ease of administration to income distribution.
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