Search Results

open access

The 1996 Farm Bill: Comparisons of Selected Provisions with Previous Law

Description: Final congressional approval was given to H.R. 2854, the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act, otherwise known as the "1996 farm bill," on March 28, 1996. President Clinton signed the bill into law on April 4, 1996 (P.L. 104-127). In tabular format, this CRS report lays out in descriptive, rather than legislative language, the major provisions of the new farm bill in contrast to preceding law.
Date: April 4, 1996
Creator: Library of Congress. Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division. Food and Agriculture Section.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Agricultural Wetlands: Current Programs and Legislative Proposals

Description: Amending Federal laws to protect wetlands, especially agricultural wetlands, is a contentious issue for the 104th Congress. Critics contend that current programs are excessive in their reach and unfairly restrict private landowners. Supporters counter that these programs are critical if the Nation is to achieve the stated goal of no-net-loss of wetlands. The two major statutes under which agricultural wetlands are protected are swampbuster, enacted in the Agriculture, Food, Trade, and Conservat… more
Date: January 4, 1996
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A. & Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

China's Most-Favored-Nation Status: U.S. Wheat, Corn, and Soybean Exports

Description: On May 31, the President formally recommended a one-year extension of most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment for China. [l] MFN treatment allows China's products to enter the United States at the same low tariff rates that apply to virtually all trading partners. Supporters of MFN status for China argue, among other things, that denial of MFN status could bring retaliatory actions that would hurt U.S. agricultural exports. China has threatened to retaliate if the United States denies it MFN treatm… more
Date: June 4, 1996
Creator: Sek, Lenore
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

DOE Laboratory Restructuring Legislation

Description: Interest in restructuring (including eliminating) the Department of Energy (DOE) and its laboratories has increased since the end of the Cold War, and especially since the beginning of the 104th Congress. A number of non-legislative proposals and activities to this end are reviewed, including DOE's own proposals for "alignment and downsizing" of the Department and its laboratories.
Date: December 4, 1996
Creator: Boesman, William C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Global Climate Change

Description: This report discusses the effect of human activities on global climate change. Human activities, particularly burning of fossil fuels, have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace gases, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane, and nitrous oxide.
Date: December 4, 1996
Creator: Justus, John R. & Morrissey, Wayne A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Pesticide Policy Issues

Description: On August 3, 1996, President Clinton signed P.L. 104-170, which contains significant amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Although it does not repeal the Delaney Clause, the new law removes pesticide residues from its purview. It requires EPA to set "safe" tolerances for residues of pesticides on both raw and processed food to provide "a reasonable certainty of no harm" from exposure to the pesticide resi… more
Date: December 4, 1996
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Regulatory Issues

Description: For two decades, scientists have been warning that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Halons (bromine-containing fluorocarbons) may deplete the stratospheric ozone shield that screens out some of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays and thus regulates the amounts which reach the Earth's surface. CFCs have been used as refrigerants, solvents, foam blowing agents, and outside the United States as aerosol propellants; Halons are used primarily as firefighting agents. Increased radiation could result in … more
Date: November 4, 1996
Creator: Gushee, David E. & Parker, Larry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Transportation and the FY1997 Budget

Description: The President signed P.L. 104-205, the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, (FY1997 Act) on September 30, 1996. This action completes work on Department of Transportation (DOT) and related agencies appropriations for the year.
Date: October 4, 1996
Creator: Fischer, John W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Back to Top of Screen