Frequently Requested Information

Below are some resources for information that constituents frequently request. Please contact Senator Lugar if you think other items should be added.

Please note that the links on this page may be viewed using Adobe Reader.

• Declaration of Independence & Constitution of the United States
• Complete 9/11 Commission Report (7.2 MB)
• Executive Summary of the 9/11 Commission Report
• Public Statement by the Chair and Vice Chair Regarding 9/11 Commission Report

CRS Information

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is part of the legislative branch of the federal government. CRS, which is a department of the Library of Congress, works exclusively as a nonpartisan analytical, research, and reference arm for Congress. The CRS mission is to support an informed national legislature.

Below is a list of CRS reports that you might find helpful. If there is a subject that interests you and is not listed below, please contact Senator Lugar and his staff will work to send you the information most pertinent to your topic. Please note that the links on this page may be viewed using Adobe Reader.

Agriculture Policy/Farm Bill

• Farm Policy Setting
  • The "Farm Bill" in Brief
  • Farm Bill Proposals and Legislative Action in the 110th Congress
  • The USDA 2007 Farm Bill Proposal: Possible Questions
  • Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill
  • The U.S. Farm Economy
• Farm Commodity Support
  • Farm Commodity Policy: Programs and Issues for Congress
• Potential Challenges to U.S. Farm Subsidies in the WTO: A Brief Overview
• Agricultural Disaster Assistance
• Conservation and Forestry
  • Soil and Water Conservation: An Overview
• Agriculture Conservation Programs: A Scorecard
• Mandatory Funding for Agriculture Conservation Programs
• Land Conversion in the Northern Plains
• Forestry in the 2007 Farm Bill
• Agricultural Trade and Food Aid
  • Agricultural Export and Food Aid Programs
• WTO Doha Round: The Agricultural Negotiations
• Animal Agriculture
  • Animal Agriculture: 2007 Farm Bill Issues
• Livestock Marketing and Competition Issues
• Specialty Crops
  • Specialty Crops: 2007 Farm Bill Issues
• Nutrition
  • Domestic Food Assistance Legislative Issues in the 110th Congress
• Farm Credit and Rural Development
  • Agricultural Credit: Institutions and Issues
  • An Overview of USDA Rural Development Programs
• Energy
  • Agriculture-Based Renewable Energy Production
  • Ethanol and Biofuels: Agriculture, Infrastructure, and Market Constraints Related to Expanded Production

Budget/Taxes

• The Budget for Fiscal Year 2004
• Major Tax Issues in the 108th Congress

Business

• Disadvantaged Businesses: A Review of Federal Assistance
• Small Business Assistance Programs: Sources of Information

Congress

• Congress' Early Organization Meetings
• House and Senate Vacancies: How Are They Filled?
• Legislative Procedure in Congress
• Congressional Overrides of Presidential Vetoes
• The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction
• Ratification of Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
• Recall of Legislators and the Removal of Members of Congress from Office
• Naming Post Offices Through Legislation
• Congressional Candidacy, Incarceration, and the Constitution's Inhabitancy Qualification
• Messages, Petitions, Communications, and Memorials to Congress
• Membership of the 108th Congress: A Profile
• Women in the United States Congress: 1917-2003
• Congressional Gold Medals 1776-2003
• House and Senate Rules of Procedure: A Comparison

Congressional Leaders and Offices

• Party Leaders in Congress, 1789-2003: Vital Statistics
• House and Senate Chaplains
• The Office of the Parliamentarian in the House and Senate

• Access to Government Information In the United States
• Parliamentary Reference Sources: Senate
• Parliamentary Reference Sources: House of Representatives
• The Senate's Calendar of Business
• The Senate's Executive Calendar
• Senate Executive Business and the Executive Calendar
• A User's Guide to the Congressional Record
• Congressional Record: Its Production, Distribution, and Accessibility

Crime

• Crime Control
• Identity Theft Remedies

Education

• Monitoring Foreign Students in the United States: The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)

Elections

• Campaign Financing

The Executive Branch

• The President's State of the Union Message: Frequently Asked Questions
• Presidential and Vice Presidential Terms and Tenure
• Presidential Directives: Background and Overview
• Presidential Vetoes, 1789-Present: A Summary Overview
• The Vice Presidency: Evolution of the Modern Office, 1933-2001
• Presidential and Vice Presidential Succession: Overview and Current Legislation

American Flag Information

• The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating To Display and Associated Questions
• Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment

Foreign Policy

• Appropriations for HIV/AIDS International Programs
• The Law of the Sea Convention and U.S. Policy
• The Millennium Challenge Account
• U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea: Living Resources Provisions
• Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Legislative Initiatives

Grants Information

• Federal Grants to State and Local Governments: A Brief History
• Federal Grants to State and Local Governments: Overview and Characteristics
• Grants Information for Constituents
• Grants Work in a Congressional Office

House of Representatives

• Floor Procedure in the House of Representatives: A Brief Overview
• The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor
• The Legislative Process on the House Floor: An Introduction
• House Schedule: Recent Practices and Proposed Options
• Committee of the Whole: An Introduction
• House Conferees: Selection
• Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the House
• The Discharge Rule in the House: Recent Use in Historical Context
• House Vacancies: Proposed Constitutional Amendments for Filling Them Due to National Emergencies

Internet/Research

• How to Find Information in a Library and on the Internet
• Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues

Joint Sessions of Congress

• Secret Sessions of the House and Senate
• Amendments Between the Houses
• Conference Reports and Joint Explanatory Statements

Military/Defense

• Military Medical Care Services
• Missile Defense
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues
• Weapons of Mass Destruction Counterproliferation: Legal Issues for Ships and Aircraft
• Nuclear Arms Control: The US/Russia Agenda

Miscellaneous

• Selected Privileges and Courtesies Extended to Former Senators
• Commemorative Observances: A Chronological List
• Historic Preservation: Background and Funding
• "Sense of" Resolutions and Provisions

Nutrition/Health

• Child Nutrition and WIC Programs
• Country-of-Origin Food Labeling
• Overview of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Reform Legislation

Senate Committees, Conferences, and Hearings

• Senate Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments
• Senate Committee Reports: Required Contents
• Preparation for Senate Committee Markup
• Senate Rules Affecting Committees
• Senate Rules for Committee Markups
• Going to Conference in the Senate
• Senate Conferees: Their Selection and Authority
• Hearings in the U.S. Senate: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure

Senate Leadership and Officials

• Senate Administrative Officers and Officials
• Presiding Officer: Senate
• The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office
• Senate Leadership: Whip Organization
• Senate Leadership Structure: Overview of Party Organization
• Secretary of the Senate: Fact Sheet on Legislative and Administrative Duties
• Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate: Fact Sheet on Legislative and Administrative Duties
• Guide to Individuals Seated on the Senate Dais

Senate Procedure

• Senate Floor Procedure: A Summary
• The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor
• Flow of Business: Typical Day on the Senate Floor
• Senate Rule XIV Procedures for Placing Measures Directly on the Senate Calendar
• How Measures Are Brought to the Senate Floor: A Brief Introduction
• Calling Up Measures on the Senate Floor
• Senate Amendment Process: General Conditions and Principles
• How Unanimous Consent Agreements Regulate Senate Floor Action
• Unanimous Consent Agreements in the Senate
• Amendments in the Senate: Types and Forms
• The Amending Process in the Senate
• Markup in Senate Committee: Considering Amendments
• How Bills Amend Statutes
• Senate Consideration of Treaties
• Filibusters and Cloture in the Senate
• Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of Senate Bills
• Senate Confirmation Process: An Overview
• Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the Senate
• Introducing a Senate Bill or Resolution

• Social Security Reform

U.S. Government and Washington, D.C.

• The Capitol Visitors' Center: An Overview
• World War II Memorial
• Location of Federal Government Offices

Voting in the Senate

• Voting in the Senate: Forms and Requirements
• Super-Majority Votes in the Senate
• Ordering a Roll Call Vote in the Senate
• Voting and Quorum Procedures in the Senate