Topics Codebook

This new codebook is based upon the original codebook used by Baumgartner and Jones during their Agendas research project. Each entry is coded into one of 19 major topics and 225 subtopics. For each major topic we list all the subtopics and give examples of issues coded in each subtopic. The "general" (00) subtopic includes cases where more than one distinct subtopic was discussed. For example, if a case discussed both water pollution (code 701) and air pollution (code 705), it would be coded as a general environmental issue (code 700). Thus, the general category within each major topic area includes some cases that are truly general as well as some cases that are the combination of as few as two subtopics. Each major topic includes an "other" (99) code subtopics that do not fit into any of the categories and for which there were too few cases to justify the creation of a new category. Finally, we provide a list of "see also" suggestions for categories that have close links with other subtopics. Analysts concerned with identifying each case dealing with a particular issue may want to use care in also examining the textual summaries for cases in related subtopics and in the general subtopic, since these can include cases that discuss multiple subtopics. Users should note that not all the topic and subtopic numbers are consecutive.

A significant revision of the health-related codes (300-399) is now complete. Health-related categories has been extensively reorganized, realigned, and renumbered to better reflect the multi-dimensional reality of these issues. One major aspect of these revisions is the inclusion of a new filter to reflect the type of health program being affected

• 0 No reference to any federal programs
• 1 Medicare (Title XVIII, at least post-1972)
• 2 Medicaid (Title XIX, at least post-1972)
• 3 Military Health (Title 38)
• 4 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB)
• 5 Other specific program (Public Health Service, NIH, etc)
• 6 Multiple programs

For example, if an entry is concerned with the reimbursement rates for physicians under the Medicare program, it would be coded as 326 (1), while entries dealing with reimbursement rates for physicians under the Public Health Service program would be coded 326 (5); an entry dealing with general reimbursement rates for physicians without mention of any federal programs would be coded as 326 (0). These decimal sub-codes should be used with all of the subtopics included in the Health topic. The data files available for download on the web do not yet include this variable, email us to make a request for the additional information.

A Note on Terrorism:

In our scheme, we handle the issue of terrorism by coding these bills into the subtopics most consistent with the particular aspect of terrorism or homeland security at issue. If the record addresses a terrorist act from a foreign entity, it will generally be found under the 1927 subtopic. If the record deals with airline security, for example, it will be found in 1003. General issues regarding homeland security and domestic terrorism prevention can be located under 1615, Civil Defense and Homeland Security Functions. In addition to general DHS issues, other specific issues dealing with terrorism that do not have another policy dimension should be placed in 1615 (e.g., attacks on chemical plants). Records that have another substantive policy dimension, such as transportation (1000) or energy (800), should be coded in their respective categories.

1. Macroeconomics

Examples: the administration's economic plans, economic conditions and issues, economic growth and outlook, state of the economy, long-term economic needs, recessions, general economic policy, promote economic recovery and full employment, demographic changes, population trends, recession effects on state and local economies, distribution of income, assuring an opportunity for employment to every American seeking work.

Examples: inflation control and reduction, anti-inflation programs, calculation of inflation statistics and price index statistics, consumer price index, food prices, cost of living, interest rates, bureau of labor reports on inflation, effects of inflation on business, general economic statistics.

Examples: unemployment and employment statistics, economic and social impact of unemployment, national employment priorities, employment and labor market development, bureau of labor reports on unemployment.

See also: 502, 503 solutions to unemployment problems

Examples: monetary policy issues, Federal Reserve's yearly monetary policy reports, Department of Treasury and Federal Reserve Board budget requests and appropriations, credit availability, national savings rate, relationship between fiscal and monetary policies, control of gold supply, gold reserve issues, savings bonds, treasury bonds.

See also: 1808 exchange rates; 1501 Federal Reserve banking issues.

105: National Budget and Debt

Examples: administration's yearly budget proposals, balanced budget act and enforcement, budget process, federal debt and deficit, deficit reduction and management proposals, budget projections, increases in the public debt limit, concurrent budget resolutions, impact of budget reductions on industries, states and communities, move trust fund accounts off-budget, move trust fund accounts on-budget, public debt issues, including retirement of public debt, changes in fiscal year status.

Examples: state taxation of income, state and local income taxes, clarification of tax code, tax code reform, luxury and excise taxes, estate and gift taxes, corporate income taxes, collection procedures for federal taxes, administration tax proposals, income tax reform, tax treatment of charities, federal tax code reform and simplification, revenue acts, impact of taxes on business, m ultiple tax changes (excise and capital gains), general tax changes, charitable contribution deduction bills, domestic tax breaks for foreign businesses.

(Special Note: Specific tax changes should be coded based upon the subject matter. For instance, deductions for mortgages should go in mortgages; tax incentives to promote child care should go in child care, also all omnibus tax issues, general legislation that amends the Internal Revenue Code without any specific reference).

See also: 2009 IRS administration.

108: Industrial Policy

Examples: manufacturing strategy, technological capacity of industry, assistance to specific industries, national industrial policy, industry revitalization and growth, decline in U.S. industrial productivity, plant closings and relocation, industrial reorganization, commission on productivity, industrialization centers.

See also: 1806 international business competition; 1403 economic development programs.

Examples: economic stabilization programs, wage-price control and freezes, administered pricing programs, emergency price controls.

2. Civil Rights, Minority Issues, and Civil Liberties

Examples: Civil Rights Commission appropriations, civil rights violations, Civil Rights Act, Equal Rights amendments, equal employment opportunity laws, discrimination against women and minorities, appropriations for civil rights programs, civil rights enforcement, coverage of the civil rights act, employment discrimination involving several communities (age, gender, race, etc. in combination), taking private property, impact on private property rights, employment discrimination due to race, color, and religion.

Examples: minority set aside programs, minority contracting and business development, appointment of minorities to federal judgeships, school desegregation, minority discrimination by rental car agencies, FBI hiring and promotion of minorities, race based crimes, investigation of the Ku Klux Klan.

202: Gender and Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Examples: gender and sexual orientation discrimination in the military, social security inequities affecting women, employment barriers to women, female salary inequities, sex discrimination regulations, equal pay for women.

Examples: age discrimination in employment, mandatory retirement ages, age discrimination in selection of federal judges, EEOC problems in enforcing age discrimination laws, retirement age policies.

Examples: discrimination against the disabled, airline discrimination against blind people, employment of persons with disabilities, insurance discrimination of blind people, civil rights of institutionalized persons and the mentally retarded, travel problems of the handicapped, discrimination based on genetics or health conditions.

Examples: state discriminatory barriers to voting registration, banning literacy tests, Voting Rights Act and enforcement, free mailing of voter registration forms, lowering the voting age to 18, abolition of poll taxes.

Examples: amendments to the civil liberties act, religious freedom, physical desecration of the flag, school prayer, religious speech protection, anti-obscenity legislation.

Examples: privacy of consumer and worker records, employee drug and polygraph testing, computer access and security, police wiretapping, privacy of medical records, access to government records and information, disclosure and confidentiality standards for government information, electronic funds transfer and financial privacy, security and privacy of criminal arrest records, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), dissemination of USIA films, programs or information within the US or at museums, protection of women's abortion rights .

Examples: theory and practice of Communism, subversive activities control act, investigate the activities of the Black Panther Party, internal security laws, investigation of the Students for a Democratic Society, investigation of anti-Vietnam War protesters, investigation of the activities of the New Left, communist involvement in urban race riots, investigation of the Communist Party of Puerto Rico, investigation of student unrest at various universities, investigation of communist youth activities, establishing agencies to educate the public on the tactics of communist subversives, investigate the scope of Soviet activity in the U.S., investigate communist infiltration of education institutions and the U.S. military.

Examples: right to livelihood, legal fees equity act, misuse of OEO funds, membership on the Commission on Civil Rights

3. Health

Examples: National Institute of Health (NIH) appropriations, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) appropriations, activities that provide little evidence of policy direction, commissions to study health issues, solvency of Medicare

301: Comprehensive health care reform

Examples: proposals to reform broader health system (rather than specific aspects of a program), including establishment of a national health care system, comprehensive Medicare reform, delegation of responsibilities to the states, changing responsibilities of states, regulation of state health care reform, initiatives in women's health, initiatives in rural health, federal assistance percentages, state share of Medicare or Medicaid payments.

See also: 334 for long term health care reform; 302 for insurance reform.

Examples: Access, eligibility, the uninsured, Medicare premiums, Medicare supplemental insurance (Medigap), establishment of tax free medical savings accounts, regulation of the individual insurance market, ERISA, coverage of veterans under Medicare, coverage of veterans under federal employee health plans (FEHB), regulation of HMOs and insurers with respect to general availability of coverage (e.g. patients' bill of rights), enrollment mix requirements for HMOs.

See also: 331-36 specific benefits; 334 long term care insurance, Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act; 503 ERISA other than health.

Examples: Generally about safety of products and procedures, approval processes, drug labeling and marketing, organ transplant allocations, safety of the blood supply, faulty cholesterol screening, prescription drug counterfeiting, pacemaker regulation, prescription drug labeling, over-the-counter drug safety, fatal allergic reactions to drugs, drug abuse in nursing homes, vitamin, mineral and diet supplements, regulation of drug marketing procedures, approval of drugs to combat specific diseases, FDA drug approval process, FDA regulation of medical devices, FDA approval of contraceptive devices, regulation of clinical trials, , inspection of x-ray equipment by PHS).

See also: 335 prescription drug costs; 398 research; 1520 for antitrust issues .

Examples: Construction of hospitals, laboratories, health centers and nursing homes, including issues of undersupply in rural or urban areas (disproportionate share payments to hospitals) payments to hospitals for inpatient services under Medicare, emergency care facilities, regulation of standards and activities within these facilities, including personnel qualifications, HHS certification of long-term health care facilities, nursing home standards and regulation, Public Health Service (PHS) appropriations, PHS activities and regulation, medical lab reliability issues, Hospital Construction Act.

See also: 323 payments to providers; 325 teaching hospitals.

Examples: Reimbursement rates and methods for physicians, insurance companies, or specific procedures, peer review procedures, prospective payment system (PPS), appeals processes, payment rates for HMO services, regional adjustments, risk adjustment, reimbursement for chiropractors, foreign medical graduates, nurse practitioners, payment for outpatient services

See also: 325 workforce training programs; 302 insurer or managed care consumer protections.

324: Medical liability, fraud and abuse

Examples: Malpractice issues, fraudulent medical degrees, unfair sales practices, misuse of federal funds for mental health care, Medicare overbilling, conflicts of interest, misuse of federal funds for mental health care, medical malpractice insurance coverage, revocation of physician licenses, suspension of physician privileges, dispute resolution for medical malpractice claims, unfair sales practices in the diet and medical industries, liability protection for federal physicians.

See also: 325 for physician certification and licensing.

Examples: Issues of undersupply and oversupply of health personnel, including incentives to practice in underserved areas, certification and licensing procedures, coverage of services provided by training programs and medical schools, reimbursement rates for teaching hospitals, construction of teaching hospitals, collective bargaining, health manpower training, nurse training, public health training grants, physician training, medical libraries, nurse midwifery .

See also: 324 Malpractice issues, 323 compensation and regulation of health care providers.

Examples: Cancer screening, health promotion programs, consumer guides, medical information, health education in schools, immunization, prevention programs for osteoporosis, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, federal response to AIDS, breast cancer treatment, skin cancer, renal disease, treatment of high blood pressure, Legionnaire’s disease, communicable disease control, sickle cell anemia prevention, polio, Center for Disease Control funding, designation of national health holidays .

See also: 208 right to privacy; 341-44 drug and tobacco programs.

Examples: Preventive services for children, prenatal care, child and juvenile health care, school health programs, child immunization, Comprehensive Child Immunization Act, reduction of infant mortality, promotion of breast feeding, prenatal care programs, child health care, sudden infant death syndrome, childhood malnutrition, fetal alcohol syndrome, child dental care.

See also: 331 for health education programs; 208 for abortion related issues.

Examples: Federal role in providing services to the mentally ill, mental health services, quality of care for mentally ill, mentally ill and handicapped children, specialized housing for mentally retarded, mental health centers.

See also: 324 misuse of federal funds for mental health care, 322 reviews of hospital psychiatric programs.

Examples: Benefits and costs issues related to Medicare catastrophic costs, hospice, nursing homes, in home care, regulation of the sale of long-term health care to the elderly, long-term care insurance improvement, court appointed guardianships for the elderly and infirm, aging, gerontology research, National Institute of Aging, problems in financing long-term care, community alternative to institutional care, approaches to long-term care for the elderly, conferences on aging, comprehensive home health care, rehabilitation needs of persons with head injuries, life-sustaining treatments for the terminally ill.

See also: 322 nursing home standards; 333 long term care for the mentally ill; 1304 disability benefits; 1609 veterans' disability benefits; 323 payment for outpatient services; 336 provision of outpatient benefits.

Examples: Medicare prescription drug coverage, coverage of specific drugs under Medicaid, rising costs of drug coverage, coverage of clinical trials and experimental treatments.

See also: 321 regulation of drug industry.

Examples: Treatment for Alzheimer's, dental services, vision services, renal disease, breast cancer detection and treatment, durable medical equipment (e.g. wheelchairs).

Examples: cigarette advertising and regulatory issues, ban on smoking in federal buildings, increase public awareness of smoking health risks, smoking prevention education programs, health effects associated with smoking.

Examples: implementation of the national minimum drinking age act, alcoholic beverage advertising act, alcohol abuse among the elderly, prevention of adolescent alcohol abuse, health insurance coverage of alcohol abuse treatment, drunk driving victims protection, drunk driving enforcement aid for states, alcoholism prevention programs.

See also: 344 drug and alcohol abuse.

343: Controlled and Illegal Drug Abuse, Treatment, and Education

Examples: drug abuse education and prevention programs in schools, community based anti-drug programs, federal prison substance abuse treatment availability act, methadone treatment program, drug abuse treatment programs and insurance coverage, drug abuse by military personnel.

See also: 1203 drug trafficking; 321 drug safety.

Examples: extension of drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs, health coverage of drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs, drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs in schools, drug and alcohol abuse in the armed services, juvenile alcohol and drug abuse, entertainment industry efforts to curb drug and alcohol abuse.

See also: 342 alcohol abuse and treatment; 343 illegal drug abuse and treatment.

Examples: Alzheimer's research, research on women's health, government tax incentives for research and development, research grants to organizations and educational institutions, conferences on health-related issues, genetic engineering issues , medical research and regulatory issues, sleep disorders research, NASA-NIH biomedical research, fetal tissue transplant research, health policy research programs, medical applications of biotechnology research, research on increased life expectancy, human genetic engineering research, biomedical and behavioral research.

Examples: health consequences of a nuclear or terrorist attack.

4. Agriculture

Examples: DOA, USDA and FDA appropriations, general farm bills, farm legislation issues, economic conditions in agriculture, impact of budget reductions on agriculture, importance of agriculture to the U.S. economy, national farmland protection policies, agriculture and rural development appropriations, family farmers, state of American agriculture, farm program administration, long range agricultural policies, amend the Agriculture and Food Act, National Agricultural Bargaining Board.

Examples: FDA inspection of imports, agriculture export promotion efforts, agricultural trade promotion programs, tobacco import trends, agricultural export credit guarantee programs, impact of imported meats on domestic industries, country of origin produce labeling, USDA agricultural export initiatives, value added agricultural products in U.S. trade, establish coffee export quotas, effects of Mexican produce importation, international wheat agreements, livestock and poultry exports, amend Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, reemphasize trade development, promote foreign trade in grapes and plums, prohibit unfair trade practices affecting producers of agricultural products, extend Agricultural Trade Development, enact the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978, establish agricultural aid and trade missions to assist foreign countries to participate in US agricultural aid and trade programs, Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act Amendments.

See also: 1800 general foreign trade; 1502 agricultural commodities trading.

402: Government Subsidies to Farmers and Ranchers, Agricultural Disaster Insurance

Examples: agricultural price support programs, USDA crop loss assistance, farm credit system financial viability, federal agriculture credit programs, agricultural disaster relief programs, subsidies for dairy producers, farm loan and credit issues, reforming federal crop insurance programs, credit assistance for family operated farms, federal milk supply and pricing policies, renegotiation of farm debts, USDA direct subsidy payments to producers, establishing farm program payment yields, peanut programs, wheat programs, evaluation of the supply and demand for various agricultural commodities, beef prices, cotton acreage allotments, shortages of agricultural storage facilities, agricultural subterminal storage facilities, financial problems of farm banks, Agricultural Adjustment Act, farm vehicle issues, Wool Act, Sugar Act, feed grain programs, cropland adjustment programs .

See also: 1404 farm real estate financing.

Examples: FDA monitoring of animal drug residues, consumer seafood safety, budget requests for food safety programs, food labeling requirements, grain inspection services, regulation of health and nutrition claims in food advertising and labeling, sanitary requirements for food transportation, regulation of pesticide residues on fruit, food irradiation control act, regulation of artificial food coloring, federal control over the contamination of food supplies, meat grading standards, meat processing and handling requirements, improvement of railroad food storage facilities, shortage of grain storage facilities, food packaging standards, food buyer protection, regulation of food additives, federal seed act, definition and standards of dry milk solids.

See also: 401 inspections of food imports.

404: Agricultural Marketing, Research, and Promotion

Examples: soybean promotion, research, and consumer information act, USDA commodity promotion programs, cotton research and promotion, wheat marketing problems, livestock marketing, new peanut marketing system, establishing a national commission on food marketing, fruit and vegetable marketing, industrial uses for agricultural products, meat promotion program, national turkey marketing act, federal marketing quotas for wheat.

Examples: USDA regulation of plant and animal mailing to prevent the spread of diseases, control of animal and plant pests, pork industry swine disease eradication program, virus protection for sheep, grasshopper and cricket control programs on farmland, USDA response to the outbreak of citrus disease in Florida, eradication of livestock diseases, brucellosis outbreak in cattle, USDA integrated pest management program, toxic contamination of livestock, fire ant eradication program, proposed citrus blackfly quarantine, predator control problems, biological controls for insects and diseases on agricultural crops, eradication of farm animal foot and mouth diseases.

See also: 704 for pollution effects of pesticides; 403 for pesticide residues on foods.

Examples: condition of federally funded agricultural research facilities, USDA nutrition research activities, USDA agricultural research programs, regulation of research in agricultural biotechnology programs, organic farming research, potential uses of genetic engineering in agriculture, agricultural research services, research on aquaculture.

Examples: methodologies used in a nationwide food consumption survey, agricultural weather information services, federal agricultural census, designate a national grain board, home gardening, redefinition of the term "farm”, farm cooperative issues.

5. Labor, Employment, and Immigration

Examples: Department of Labor budget requests and appropriations, assess change in labor markets to the year 2000, human resources development act, recent decline in the number of manufacturing jobs, national employment priorities, employment security administration financing, current labor market developments.

Examples: mine safety regulations, lead exposure risks during construction activities, improving OSHA safety and health programs, petrochemical plant worker safety, repetitive motion illnesses in the workplace, OSHA penalties and procedures for violations resulting in employee death or disability, investigation of a fatal fire at a chicken processing plant in North Carolina, construction safety standards, improve procedures for occupational health hazards identification, identification of high-risk diseases in the work place, worker protection at Superfund clean-up sites, drug and alcohol abuse in the work place, compensation for occupational diseases, safety at DOE nuclear facilities, black lung benefits and black lung disease.

Examples: job training partnership acts (JPTA), job opportunities and basic skills training programs, federal aid for job retraining, job displacement programs among timber workers, workforce 2000 employment readiness act, elderly workers and job re-training, DOL bonuses to states for training and employment of long-term welfare recipients, national employment priorities act, work incentive programs, manpower and employment problems in Cleveland, manpower development and training act, public service jobs for unemployed, public service job programs, Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA).

Examples: underfunded pension plans and pension plan protection, emergency unemployment compensation, retiree health benefits, guarantees of retirement annuities, employee stock ownership plans, fraud and abuse in employee sponsored health insurance programs, minimum health benefits for employees, pension benefit guarantee corporation, voluntary employee leave sharing program, unemployment compensation system financing, worker compensation ratemaking reform, tax treatment of employee fringe benefits, disability insurance legislation, railroad employment benefits, welfare and pension plans disclosure act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

See also: 2004 federal employee benefits.

Examples: labor-management relations in the coal industry, striker replacement legislation, national rail strike, operations of the NLRB, federal agency guidelines for worker dispute resolution, unions and collective bargaining problems, FAA regulation of flight attendant work and rest periods, federal mediation of railway employee strike, labor law reform and unfair labor practices , terms of office for local labor union officers, harbor workers compensation act, investigation into the causes of labor disputes, notification of plant closures or layoffs, Longshoremen issues, amend the National Labor Relations Act, right to organize, employee organization efforts.

See also: 1202 illegal activities of labor unions; 1926 International Labor Organization

Examples: minimum wage regulation for federal contracts, increase the minimum wage rate, enforcement of wage and hour standards, require contractors to pay wages at the rate in locality where the construction occurred, fair labor standards act, application of the fair labor standards act in Puerto Rico, penalties on employers for overtime work requirements, Davis-Bacon Act (or Davis Bacon).

Examples: youth employment through conservation projects, increase youth participation in job training centers, youth employment regulation and protection, voucher system to promote youth service programs, youth involvement in community service programs, summer youth education and employment programs, job training for disadvantaged youths, summer camps and youth camps (all activities and issues associated with summer and youth camps).

See also: 501 child labor safety.

508: Parental Leave and Child Care

Examples: Family and Medical Leave Act, child care assistance programs, child care for low and moderate income families, meeting the child care needs of working parents, affordability of insurance for day care centers, parental and medical leave, child care placement assistance for working parents, dependent care, dependent and Child care.

Examples: migrant and seasonal worker housing, national office for migrant farm workers, migrant children's nutrition and education needs, improvement of migrant living and working conditions, social and economic problems of migrant workers, migrant workers and their effect on American labor, Mexican farm labor programs, migratory labor bills, health clinics for migratory farm workers, farm labor supply programs.

Examples: immigration of Cuban refugees to the U.S., refugee resettlement appropriations, HHS authority over immigration and public health, INS enforcement of immigration laws, legalization procedures for illegal immigrants, assessment of Haitian refugee detention by the U.S., immigration and education issues for aliens, adjusting visa allocations based on applicant job skills, DOL certification process for foreign engineers working in the U.S., denial of visas to political refugees, appropriations for the INS, citizenship issues, expedited citizenship for military service.

See also: 1524 tourism; 1929 passport issues

Examples: discontinuance of monthly press briefings by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, worker alienation research, materialism and the American family work ethic, DOL automatic data processing system.

6. Education

Examples: Department of Education (DOEd) appropriations, state of education in the U.S., education programs development, education quality, national education methods, impact of education budget cuts, white house conference on education, National Institute of Education.

Examples: student loan reform, reauthorization of the higher education act, higher education student financial aid programs, violations of NCAA regulations by some colleges, direct loan programs for graduate students, student loan fraud and default, role and financial need of black colleges and universities, Montgomery GI bill, military education, veterans education assistance, foreign students at U.S. military academies, rising costs of operating higher education institutions, improving the quality of higher education, Pell Grant eligibility changes, status of university endowments in light of federal aid reduction to higher education, national defense education act, Sea Grant and Space Grant programs.

Examples: federal elementary and secondary education programs, school finding disparities, education choice programs, high school dropout intervention programs, certification standards for public school teachers, impact of federal budget cuts on school districts, elementary and secondary school student discipline problems, the safe schools act, construction assistance for school facilities, high school scholarship programs, elementary and secondary schools and supplemental educational centers, preschool issues, charter schools, No Child Left Behind Act, accountability in education .

See also: specific measures under NCLB aimed to increase the quality of education, math and science teacher certification standards – 607.

Examples: Head Start programs, teaching disadvantaged students, Even Start Education Act, education needs of Hispanics, bilingual education needs, Department of Education grants to improve skills of economically disadvantaged students, effects of Head Start on later performance, adult literacy programs, combating adult illiteracy in the U.S., Head Start grant allocation formula, education for children from low income homes, enrichment programs for disadvantaged secondary school students.

See also: 201 school desegregation efforts.

Examples: appropriations for vocational education programs, federal aid for vocational training, technical and vocational education programs, vocational aid program requirements, impact of proposed budget cuts on vocational education, vocational and occupational education, displaced homemakers vocational and education assistance.

Examples: education programs for the deaf, DOEd grants for early intervention services for disabled infants and toddlers, appropriations for Education of the Handicapped Act, progress in implementing program for learning disabled youth, handicapped education, free public education for the handicapped, education assistance for the blind, Disabilities Education Act.

Examples: promotion of excellence in education, promotion of science and math education, education standards and testing, improvement of science education facilities, increase foreign language competency in U.S. schools, programs to promote teacher excellence, grants for improving computer education in schools, establish centers for gifted and talented students, use of telecommunications to share teaching resources, grants for library construction, federal library program developments, public library facilities , teacher certification standards for math and science teachers .

See also: general reform efforts aimed at increasing the quality of education (e.g., NCLB), teacher certification standards for all teachers – 602.

Examples: Appropriations for NEA, NEH, Department of Interior loans for performing arts at parks, national endowment for local arts development programs, federal role in funding arts programs, federal funding for the Kennedy Center , White House conferences on the arts and humanities, American folklife.

See also: 1707 public broadcasting; 1798 NSF funding.

Examples: education research appropriations, Department of Education research and development programs, research on education technology.

Examples: propriety of a videotape made by the Department of Education (DOEd), DOEd internal problems, review National Center for Education Statistics activities, dismissal of Education Appeal Board cases, retirement and lifelong learning.

See also: 2103 school land conveyances.

7. Environment

Examples: EPA, CEQ, ERDA budget requests and appropriations, implementation of the Clean Air Act, review of EPA regulations, Environmental Crimes Act, U.S. policies and international environmental issues, requirements for states to provide source pollution management programs, EPA pollution control programs, Comprehensive Environmental Response Act, environmental implications of the new energy act, environmental protection and energy conservation, adequacy of EPA budget and staff for implementing pollution control legislation.

Examples: Clean Water Act, EPA water pollution abatement, pesticides in groundwater, lead contamination of drinking water, drinking water safety programs, comprehensive program to assess the quality of the nation's groundwater, drinking water availability, dioxin levels in drinking water, fluoridation of water, Federal Water Pollution Control Act, terrorist attacks on water supply .

Examples: interstate waste disposal, solid waste management, federal management of municipal waste, municipal sewage problems, EPA municipal sewage treatment construction grants program, recovery of energy from municipal solid waste, garbage and/or trash collection issues, waste treatment facility.

Examples: EPA administration of the Superfund program, hazardous waste sites cleanup, hazardous materials transportation, international movement of hazardous waste, insurance company liability for cleanup costs of hazardous waste sites, DOT routing of ultra hazardous cargoes, hazardous waste landfills, possible sites for nuclear waste repositories, toxic substances control and regulation, advance notice of hazardous of hazardous material storage for firefighters, pesticides regulation.

Examples: Clean Air Act, air quality issues affecting national parks, EPA regulation of chemical plant emissions, costs and effects of chronic exposure to low-level air pollutants, ambient air quality criteria, global warming, national action plan for reducing greenhouse emissions, ozone layer depletion, national program to control acid rain, effects of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer, regulation of automobile emissions, EPA noise control programs, CAFE standards.

Examples: recycling contaminated materials, beverage container recycling, state and local recycling efforts, promotion of recycling as a means of reducing solid waste, resource conservation and recycling.

Examples: radon awareness and disclosure act, indoor air quality and radon abatement legislation, lead exposure reduction, childhood lead poisoning prevention, public schools asbestos inspections, management and control of asbestos in government buildings, EPA programs relating to indoor air contamination, airliner cabin air quality, health effects of exposure to low level radiation from video display terminals, EPA regulation of indoor disinfectants.

Examples: endangered species protection act, gray wolf restoration, protection of spotted owls, exotic bird conservation, protection of performance animals, regulation of trapping devices, bald eagle protection, regulation of laboratory animals, fish and wildlife protection and management programs, marine mammal protection, Bristol Bay fisheries protection, fishery conservation and management, salmon conservation issues, sport fish restoration programs, protection of certain tuna species, scientific findings on late-successional forest ecosystems, old growth forest protection, wilderness refuge protection, control of illegal trade in animals and plants, humane treatment of animals used in experiments.

(Special Note: Domestic wildlife and habitat conservation goes in this category. For want of a better place, this is also the category to put domestic fishing regulations).

See also: 1807 embargo on certain fish and fish products; 1902 international agreements on resource/wildlife conservation; 2101 national parks; 2103 public lands management; 2103 conveyance of fish hatcheries from federal to state governments.

Examples: preservation of wetlands, regulation of ocean dumping, pollution from cruise ships, marine plastic pollution control, marine sanctuaries appropriations, pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, protection of coral reef systems, Columbia river water pollution, coastal barrier improvement, coastal erosion and management, federal and state coastal zone protection policies, toxic pollution in the great lakes, regulation of the incineration of hazardous wastes at sea, oil spills.

See also: 2104 water resources development; 711 pollution in small lakes, rivers, and streams

Examples: watershed protection, including pollution in small lakes, rivers, and streams; land and water conservation fund amendments, USDA soil conservation promotion, soil conservation for watershed projects, topsoil conservation standards, water supply problems, federal-state water resources rights, beach erosion.

See also: 2104 water development projects

Examples: environmental research and development programs, EPA research and development appropriations, global climate change research, ocean research using satellite technology, marine biotechnology research, National Environmental Data System.

Examples: abolishing the council on environmental quality, environmental consequences of nuclear war, EPA capability for forecasting future environmental problems, environmental impact statements, report of the Council on Environmental Quality.

8. Energy

Examples: Department of Energy (DOE) budget requests and appropriations, DOE and NRC budget requests and appropriations, national energy security policy, U.S. energy goals, U.S. energy supply and conservation, regulation of natural gas and electricity, impact of taxation on national energy policy, global energy needs, emergency plans for energy shortages, promotion of energy development projects, long-range energy needs of the U.S., energy capital requirements, establish the DOE, energy advisory committees.

See also: 2104 for energy and water development projects.

Examples: Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Atomic Energy Commission budget requests and appropriations, nuclear power licensing reform, nuclear power plant fire safety legislation, U S. nuclear power policy, safety of nuclear facility storage tanks for high level radioactive waste, revise the claims system for nuclear accidents, standardized design for nuclear power plants, NRC regulation of the TVA nuclear power program, new technologies for safer nuclear reactors, need for international nuclear safety standards, Three Mile Island nuclear plant accident, state of the atomic energy industry, atomic energy patents , fusion energy act, Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), protection of nuclear plants from attack.

See also: 501 nuclear worker safety; 1614 defense related nuclear waste; 704 nuclear waste.

Examples: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) budget requests and appropriations, electric power plant construction, hydroelectric project licensing, hydroelectric power development, utility payment reform, FERC licensing of electric power plants, rural electrification programs, ability of rural electric cooperatives to provide adequate power, BPA electric power rates and ratemaking procedures, electric utility rate reform and regulation improvement, regional shortages of electric power, financial management of the TVA, electric utilities financial problems, regulation of electric power plants use of natural gas, vulnerability of U.S. electric power systems to accidents, increase in rural electric rates, emergency sales of electric power, impact of inflation and recession on the electric utility industry.

Examples: natural gas regulation, natural gas pipeline safety issues, Trans-Alaska pipeline development, natural gas and oil exploration on federal lands, estimates of natural gas reserves in the U.S., state jurisdiction of the transportation of natural gas, offshore gas and oil leasing, outer continental shelf lease cancellation and compensation process, collection and dissemination of information on winter heating fuels, oil prices and demand, gasoline price increases, OPEC crude oil prices, oil shortages, increase in world oil prices, long-term outlook of the world oil supply, oil imports and foreign commission payments, administration's gasoline rationing program, oil imports and energy security, foreign oil production and consumption, oil shale mining claims and regulation, estimating domestic oil production, royalty and value calculation procedures for oil and gas produced on federal lands., petroleum storage facility fire prevention and safety, strategic petroleum reserve, antitrust issues in oil and gas distribution, antitrust issues in oil and gas distribution. .

See also: 2103 mineral resources of the outer continental shelf; 710 oil spills.

Examples: DOE clean coal program, clean coal technologies, regulation of coal slurry pipelines, extent and recoverably of U.S. coal reserves, Great Plains coal gasification project, regulation of federal land leases for the extraction of coal, federal standards for surface coal mining, coal imports.

Examples: hydrogen and renewable energy programs, promotion of solar and geothermal power, promotion of alternative fuels for automobiles, issues of ethanol gasoline, biomass fuel and wind energy programs, ocean thermal energy research, solar energy development program, assistance for the Synthetic Fuel Development Corporation, loans for alcohol fuel research, geothermal leases on federal lands, hydrogen programs.

Examples: energy efficiency in the U.S. government, home energy efficiency programs, community energy efficiency act, energy conservation in cities, energy conservation standards for household appliances, establish building energy performance standards, diesel fuel and gasoline conservation act, promotion of carpooling, daylight savings time extensions, motor vehicle fuel efficiency.

Examples: national energy research and development policy, DOE energy technology research and development, energy storage research and development programs, role of national laboratories in energy research and development, hydrogen research and design programs .

Examples: DOE and EPA use of consultants, energy materials and equipment allocation, standby energy authorities legislation, future requirements for energy data, establish the institute for long-range energy analysis.

10. Transportation

Examples: Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) requests and appropriations, budget requests and appropriations for multiple agencies (NTSB, FAA, CAB), surface transportation programs, national transportation policy, rural transportation needs, adequacy of transportation systems, Interstate Commerce Commission policies and procedures, impact of budget cuts on DOT programs, highway and mass transit programs, transportation assistance programs, high-speed ground transportation systems.

See also: 1003 budget requests and appropriations for FAA and CAB.

Examples: mass transit grant programs, development of new urban public bus system, financial condition of the intercity bus industry, emergency subsidies to urban mass transportation programs, metrorail safety, public transportation.

Examples: National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) budget requests and appropriations, federal aid for highway construction, highway safety and design, highway trust fund surplus, national maximum speed limit laws, pavement deterioration of highways in Florida, freeway problems in California, federal funding for bridge maintenance projects, highway user taxes, defense highway needs, control of advertising on interstate highways, infrastructure development, bridges, National Highway Academy, highway beautification programs, adding trees and plants along highways.

Examples: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) budget requests and appropriations, aviation safety issues, financial condition of the airline industry, uses of satellite technology in aviation, FAA delay in procurement of air traffic control equipment, development of new commercial aircraft, commercial air service restrictions, airline compliance with FAA safety regulations, nationwide airport expansion needs, FAA air traffic controller standards, airlines fares and services, airplane crash liability standards, problems with airline computer reservation systems, air traffic control computer failures, oversight of CAB practices and procedures, CAB regulation of charter air carriers, rates and fares of foreign air transportation, federal airport construction aid, civil aviation academy.

Examples: AMTRAK budget requests and appropriations, federal railroad safety inspection and enforcement programs, development of high speed passenger rail transportation, growth of regional railroads, sales of short line and regional railroads, ICC rail rate regulation, AMTRAK passenger safety issues, freight rail industry regulation, Northeast Rail Service Act, shortage of railroad cars for commodity transportation, revitalization of Northeast Corridor rail properties, railroad deregulation.

Examples: trucking industry regulation, establish a national system of licensing for truck and bus drivers, truck safety audit and investigation procedures, prohibition of tandem trucks, size and weight limitations for trucks on interstate, impact of federal regulations on independent truckers, long and short haul trucking provisions, regulation of freight forwarders, ICC regulation of the trucking industry, motor vehicle safety issues, auto industry development of airbags, motor vehicle information programs, automobile safety belt usage, automobile crash testing and standards, economic status of automobile manufacturing, all-terrain vehicle safety, trucking industry deregulation, efforts to reduce drunk driving.

See also: 705 automobile emissions regulation, automobile CAFE standards.

1007: Maritime Issues

Examples: U.S. Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and Federal Maritime Commission budget requests and appropriations, cargo liability limits and the carriage of goods by sea, cargo preference laws, revitalization of the maritime industry, commercial fishing vessel safety, navigation safety issues, cruise ship safety, commercial shipbuilding industry, navy policies on transportation of military cargo by Merchant Marine, financing construction of merchant ships, maritime freight industry regulation, intercoastal shipping act, regulation of ocean shipping rates, Great Lakes pilotage, small boat safety, Coast Guard operation of ocean weather stations, navigation rules on inland waterways, designation and naming of channels, designation and naming of vessels).

See also: 1902 international fishing and wildlife agreements; 1915 Panama Canal ; 2104 port development and construction.

Examples: budget requests and appropriations for public works and civil works projects, transportation infrastructure improvements, civil works and energy projects, public works investment needs, local public works employment projects, local public works capital development and investment act, Public Works Acceleration Act.

See also: 800 energy projects; 2104 water projects.

Examples: surface transportation research and development, DOE requests for transportation research and development funding, research and development in ground transportation.

1099: Other

Examples: metric signing on highways.

12. Law, Crime, and Family Issues

Examples: emerging criminal justice issues, administration of criminal justice, revision of the criminal justice system, role of the U.S. commissioner in the criminal justice system.

Examples: Judiciary, Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI, ATF , Border Patrol and Customs budget requests and appropriations, U.S. federal marshals witness protection program, review of FBI programs, improving criminal justice information systems at the state and local level, computerizing criminal records for nationwide law enforcement access, law enforcement assistance programs, ATF gang information network, debt collection by the DOJ, Secret Service protection of government officials.

Examples: Asian organized crime activities in the U.S., racketeering control, organized crime in Atlantic City, organized crime in labor unions, white collar crime in the oil industry, RICO penalties, gambling and organized crime, president's commission on organized crime, credit card counterfeiting and fraud legislation, corporate criminal liability, prosecution of organized crime labor racketeering cases, cigarette bootlegging, general money laundering, efforts to counter cyber-crime .

See also: 1203 drug related money laundering.

Examples: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) appropriations, national drug control strategy, federal interagency cooperation in drug control border drug interdiction, international narcotics control strategy, heroin trafficking in China, status of DEA drug interdiction programs, U.S.--South American drug control strategy and cooperation, airborne drug trafficking deterrence, U.S. military involvement in drug interdiction, Coast Guard drug confiscation and search policies, drug trafficking and money laundering, money laundering detection and penalties, federal seizure of drug related property, drug trafficking in New York City, crack-cocaine trafficking in Delaware, legalization of drugs, the relationship between drug trafficking and crime, criminal penalties for drug trafficking.

See also: 1202 general money laundering (non-drug related).

Examples: Judiciary budget requests and appropriations, federal courts administration act, restructuring district courts, construction of new federal courthouse, administration of the federal courts, reorganization of federal courts, reducing the workload of the Supreme Court, reform grand jury procedures, time limits for federal criminal cases, capital punishment procedures, effectiveness of the pretrial services agency, oversight of the Legal Services Corporation, jurisdiction of lawsuits made by foreigners on US companies, criminal fine collection efforts, conditions for pre-trial release, bail guidelines and bail reform, establish and office of the public defender, Supreme Court issues, criminal records, legal services issues, confer jurisdiction upon Court of Claims (with no specific references to other subject matter) .

See also: 1205 parole issues; 1210 criminal sentencing requirements and civil suit guidelines.

Examples: Federal Bureau of Prisons appropriations and budget requests, Federal Bureau of Prisons programs, halfway house contracts, alternatives to traditional incarceration for criminal offenders, prisoner ‘boot' camp proposals, prison overcrowding, prison construction plans and policy, prison violence, shortcomings of the correction system, reform of the present parole system, national correction standards, penal reform.

Examples: violent crime involving youth, juvenile justice and delinquency prevention act, juvenile court system, youth criminal activity, homeless and runaway youth assistance programs, crime and violence in schools, adolescent drug use and related criminal activity, juvenile delinquency prevention programs, correlation of unemployment and the crime rate for youth, alternatives to juvenile incarceration, detention and jailing of juveniles, Institute for juvenile justice, institute for continuing studies of juvenile justice, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.

Examples: child abuse prevention, national child search system, regulation of child pornography, violence against children, sexual exploitation of children, problems and incidence of missing children, federal efforts to relocate missing children, sexual abuse of children in day care homes, parental kidnapping of their children.

Examples: court-ordered child support, battered women and child custody legislation, state of child welfare services, adoption and foster care programs, domestic violence, federal family planning programs, impact of drugs on children and families, aid for abandoned infants and children, teenage pregnancy issues, teenage suicide prevention, family services support for adoption, family economic problems, consequences of divorce, elderly abuse, domestic violence, child tax credits .

Examples: Federal financial assistance to state and local law enforcement, rights of police officers during internal investigations, police misconduct, neighborhood crime reduction programs, arson prevention, handgun control, revise federal gun control laws, seven-day waiting periods for handgun sales, control of explosives, establishment of a national police academy.

Examples: revisions of the federal criminal code, federal crime sentencing disparities, hate crimes sentencing enhancement act, federal rape law reform, judicial sentencing in narcotics cases, sentencing in capital cases, criminal penalties for assaults on firemen and policemen, proposals to abolish the death penalty, apply federal law to crimes committed on aircraft, civil penalty guidelines and limitations, criminal justice statistics, habeas corpus reform.

Examples: programs to prevent crimes against women, crimes against the elderly, deterring auto theft, violent crime control, national crime survey, federal criminal diversion programs, compensation programs for victims of violent crime, causes of urban riots and civil disturbances.

See also: 1208 domestic violence.

13. Social Welfare

Examples: Health and Human Services (HHS) and Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) appropriations and budget requests, administration's welfare reform proposals, effectiveness of federal and state public welfare programs, social services proposals, public assistance programs, effects of economic and social deprivation on the psychology of underprivileged persons, social security and welfare benefits reforms.

See also: 300 HHS appropriations specific to health; 300 HEW appropriations specific to health; 600 HEW appropriations specific to education.

Examples: USDA grants to states for women, infant and children (WIC) supplemental food program, childhood hunger relief, child nutrition programs, consumer nutrition awareness, food stamp abuse and fraud, approach to the U.S. hunger problem, USDA school breakfast/lunch program, malnutrition problems among the elderly, food assistance for low income families, coordinate USDA and HHS programs for nutrition monitoring, USDA food programs for the homeless, administration task force on food assistance, food stamp reductions, special milk program eligibility for public schools, national nutrition policy study, food assistance for the elderly, national school lunch act.

See also: 331 the role of diets in disease prevention.

Examples: Economic Opportunity Act antipoverty programs, programs to alleviate long-term welfare dependency, examine proposals to reform AFDC program, needs of disadvantaged children from low-income families, efforts of Southern states to reduce poverty, mandatory work and training programs for welfare recipients, promotion of economic self-sufficiency for single mothers receiving AFDC benefits, HHS low-income energy assistance programs, budget cut impact on AFDC programs.

(Special Note: AFDC issues go in this category even if it also refers to Social Security Act or Administration (Title IV), child welfare issues associated with Social Security Act go in this category as well, Earned Income Tax credit.

See also: 1204 legal assistance for the poor.

Examples: contributions into the social security fund, Older Americans Act, revise social security retirement earnings test, social security system filing problems, SSA procedures for handling claims for denied benefits, improve social security benefits for older women, social services for the elderly, management of the social security trust funds surplus, reduction of social security benefits, elderly assistance programs under the older Americans act, problems and needs of elderly women, cost of living adjustments for social security benefits, impact of budget cuts on the elderly, social security financing issues, energy cost assistance for the elderly, needs of rural elderly.

(Special Note: Omnibus legislation which includes multiple topics under Social Security goes in this category. In addition, specific topics such as changes to the SSA for the purpose of child welfare, housing, etc. should be coded in those more precise subtopics. Bills with no specific references to health care but are SS related, should be coded in this subtopic).

See also: 1301 elderly nutrition assistance programs; 1408 elderly housing.

Examples: residential living programs for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled, revision of aid to handicapped, Americans with Disabilities Act, technologies for assisting disabled persons, HHS grants for persons with chronic disabilities, needs of the elderly blind, rehabilitation assistance for disabled, programs for the deaf and hearing impaired, independent living programs for the handicapped, federal aid for the mentally ill and retarded, aid to physically handicapped, Randolph-Sheppard Act for the blind.

See also: 205 handicapped access to federal buildings.

Examples: domestic volunteer service programs, youth volunteer programs, community volunteer programs, providing volunteer services for the elderly, ACTION agency older Americans volunteer programs, federal management of volunteer services, national meals-on-wheels programs, state social services programs, boy scouts of America , older worker community service programs, boys and girls clubs.

See also: 1929 Peace Corps.

14. Community Development and Housing Issues

Examples: Housing and Urban Development (HUD) budget requests and appropriations, housing and the housing market, HUD policy goals, building construction standards, future of the housing industry, national housing assistance legislation, administration and operation of national housing programs, housing safety standards.

Examples: HUD housing and community development programs, HUD loans for neighborhood revitalization efforts, HUD block grants, neighborhood development and preservation, housing and urban development, National Housing Act, making repairs and improvements to a residence.

See also: 1403 urban economic development; 1405 rural economic development.

Examples: urban enterprise zones, local partnership act, economic development needs of urban areas, community reinvestment act, urban revitalization, economic problems in various cities, national urban policy, effects of budget cuts on cities, federal role in dealing with urban decline, reducing urban sprawl, New York City financial bailout, model cities programs.

See also: 2001 intergovernmental relations.

Examples: management of FmHA rural housing assistance program, FmHA home loan appeals procedure, shortages of low-income rural housing, housing credit needs in rural areas, FmHA management problems, agriculture real estate loans, FmHA farm loans.

See also: 1405 rural economic development.

Examples: credit assistance and availability for rural economic development, investment in rural areas, rural conditions, Appalachian Regional Development Commission, Economic Development Administration assistance, rural development oversight, economic and social problems of rural America, rural community development.

See also: 802 rural electric development; 1706 rural telephone development .

Examples: housing affordability problems of low and moderate income families, federal housing assistance programs, low-income housing shortages, condominium conversion trends and housing affordability, rent control, deficiencies in public housing projects, budget renewal for HUD's Section 8 program, alleged mismanagement of HUD programs, tenant-management initiatives in public housing projects, HUD management of multi-family housing programs, security in public housing, neighborhood preservation, slum clearance and related problems, multifamily housing projects, housing affordability and availability.

See also: 200 fair housing initiatives and discrimination in housing; 1408 elderly housing.

Examples: VA home loan guaranty program, use of national service life insurance funds to underwrite mortgage loans to veterans, VA mortgage foreclosures, veterans emergency housing act, low cost rental housing for veterans, sale of permanent war housing to veterans, substandard housing of military personnel, housing in military areas, defense housing act.

See also: 1608 on-base military housing.

Examples: Elderly housing needs, housing shortages and the elderly, alternative approaches to housing for the elderly, condominiums and the elderly, housing facilities for the elderly and handicapped, adequacy of federal response to housing needs of older Americans

Examples: permanent housing for the homeless, federal aid for the homeless, Homeless Outreach Act, assistance for homeless veterans, lack of housing for homeless and low-income groups, use of emergency assistance funds for housing for homeless families, extent and causes of homelessness in the U.S.

See also: 603 education of homeless children.

1410: Secondary Mortgage Market

Examples: FHA mortgage insurance fund, soundness of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and FANNIE MAE, abuses of FHA mortgage programs, mortgage marketing and mortgage credit, FHA to insure loans for residential mobile home purchases, examine the secondary mortgage market for industrial mortgages, FHA mortgage foreclosure procedures.

See also: 1504 consumer mortgages.

1499: Other

Examples: architectural competition, cellulose home insulation.

15. Banking, Finance, and Domestic Commerce

Examples: Department of Commerce (DOC) and National Bureau of Standards (NBS) budget requests and appropriations, financial system structure and regulation, DOC reorganization plan, national materials policy, regulatory sunshine act, federal regulation of the economy, Interstate Commerce Act.

See also: 1800 Federal Trade Commission

Examples: Regulatory burden on financial institutions, FDIC and Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) policies, interstate banking efficiency, RTC procedures for disposal of assets of failed savings and loan banks, FDIC bank insurance fund, banking regulation reform, failed federally insured savings and loan associations, need for financial service industry restructuring, financial institution fraud investigations, savings and loan crisis, FSLIC acquisition of insolvent savings and loan associations, uniform standards for saving institution advertising, standards for U.S. commercial bank foreign loan transactions, Federal Reserve regulation on check clearing systems--limit length of time that banks can hold checks, financial institution deregulation, electronic fund transfer act, interest rate regulation on savings accounts, national credit union administration, operation of federal intermediate credit banks, Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Federal Credit Union Act, Banking Holding Company Act.

See also: 104 federal reserve board issues; 1525 Truth-in-Lending Act; 1202 prosecution of financial institution crimes.

Examples: Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) budget requests and appropriations, regulation of commodity markets, federal securities regulations, securities laws violations, regulation of commercial bank involvement in the securities market, SEC regulation of corporate bonds, examine stock market volatility problems, municipal bond market regulation, commodity futures trading commission, growth of money market mutual funds, pension fund investment policies, protection for securities investors, amend the Securities Exchange Act, regulation of mutual fund investment companies, financial services industry reform, commodities .

Examples: mortgage financing reform, consumer credit protection, real estate settlement procedures, consumer access to credit records, consumer information on credit card interest rates, consumer information on mortgage settlement costs, fraud and abuse among credit repair agencies, adjustable rate mortgages, regulation of credit card solicitations, inaccurate credit bureau information reporting procedures, Credit Control Act .

See also: 1410 government mortgage programs.

Examples: fraud and abuse in the insurance industry, insurance industry financial status, effectiveness of state regulation of insurance companies, insurance company failures, automobile insurance affordability and availability, no-fault motor vehicle insurance, life insurance industry regulation, sales of commercial life insurance on military bases, product liability insurance rates.

See also: 1523 flood and earthquake insurance.

Examples: reform of consumer bankruptcy laws, professional fees in bankruptcy cases, bankruptcy code reform, depositor treatment in bankruptcy proceedings of uninsured financial institutions, bankruptcy regulation for farm families, municipal bankruptcy act.

See also: 1204 bankruptcy courts.

Examples: unfair competition in the tourism industry, meatpacking industry concentration, intellectual property antitrust protection, Sherman Antitrust Act, vertical price-fixing restrictions, price fixing agreements, monopoly problems in regulated industries, limited partnership regulations, foreign acquisition of U S. firms, corporate management structure, hostile corporate takeovers, seed-money corporations, Clayton Act.

See also: 1501 banking deregulation; 1003 airline deregulation; 1005 railroad deregulation; 1006 trucking deregulation; 1706 telephone deregulation; 1526 sports regulation; 803 oil industry deregulation; 1505 insurance industry regulation.

Examples: Small Business Administration (SBA) budget requests and appropriations promoting small business exports, small business credit availability problems, health insurance cost burden on small businesses, government assistance to small business, federal set aside contracts for small business, small business competitiveness under current liability laws, problems of small businesses complying with EPA regulations, SBA loans to small businesses, impact of deregulation on small trucking businesses, SBA implementation of small business programs for veterans, promotion of women in small business, impact of product liability costs on small business, increases in small business failures, impact of federal regulations on small business, access to capital for small business, government competition with small business.

See also: 1523 small business disaster loan programs; 201 SBA minority business programs; 1609 VA small business loans.

Examples: Patent and Trademark Office appropriations, copyrights and telecommunication, biotechnology patent protection, intellectual property rights, copyright infringement remedies, industrial design protection, patents for inventions made in space, copyright protection for computer software, music copyrights, piracy of intellectual property, patent application procedures, trademark use and clarification, home recording of copyrighted material, performance royalties, patent office fees.

Examples: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) budget requests and appropriations, aid for flood disasters, national flood insurance reform, earthquake preparedness, FEMA disaster planning and relief operations, FEMA civil defense programs, FEMA--national fire academy training programs, SBA disaster loans, interest rates on disaster loans, emergency credit extension to farmers in disaster areas, hurricane protection projects, environmental consequences of nuclear war, early warning systems, drought relief, establishment of a national fire academy.

Examples: White House conference on tourism, promotion of tourism in the U.S. , using tourism to promote development of rural economies, problems for foreign visitors, status of U.S. tourism industry, national tourism programs, regulation of travel agents.

See also: 530 immigration and refugee issues; 1929 passport issues.

Examples: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) budget requests and appropriations, deceptive mailings and solicitations, consumer reporting reform, auto repair fraud, state consumer protection standards, federal standards for product liability, child car seat safety, infomercials and consumer protection, deceptive ads in the diet industry, telemarketing fraud, debt collection and consumer abuse, penalties for consumer product tampering, the consumer protection advocacy movement, Truth-in-Lending Act, labeling of alcoholic beverages, regulation of deceptive practices in the funeral industry, cosmetic safety, false and misleading advertising, consumer affairs, control of flammable fabrics.

See also: 708 protection from indoor radiation hazards; 1504 fraudulent land sales.

Examples: regulation of greyhound racing, health and safety standards for boxing, promotion of professional standards for boxing, regulation of gambling on vessels, regulation of televised college football, prohibit TV hometown blackouts when games are sold out, regulation of interstate horse racing, status of amateur sports in the U.S., antitrust immunity for professional sports teams, President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports .

Examples: conversion to the metric system, emergency chlorine allocation, uniform time standards.

16. Defense

Examples: Department of Defense budget requests and appropriations (DOD), Department of the Air Force, Army, or Navy appropriations, armed services bills covering multiple subtopics, DOD operations and maintenance, defense production act, reorganization of the DOD, status of the national military establishment, establishment of the DOD, funding for defense activities of DOE, termination or designation of special defense areas.

See also: 1701 NASA\DOD issues.

Examples: NATO strategy and U.S. military presence in Europe, Japan-U.S. joint military operations, mutual security acts, changes in the Soviet Union and the future of NATO, NATO defense capabilities in Europe, Warsaw Pact status, Soviet Union and China defense and economic development needs, Soviet strategic force developments, U.S. military commitments to NATO, NATO military equipment, Southeast Asia collective defense treaty, inter-American military cooperation act, security assistance, peacekeeping missions .

Examples: foreign economic espionage, U.S. intelligence reorganization, congressional oversight of U.S. covert intelligence activities, DOD security review commission, intelligence activities of Soviet-bloc diplomats, CIA funds for the support of Nicaraguan rebels, leaks of classified defense information, national intelligence act, CIA estimates of Soviet defense spending, role of the national security advisor, foreign intelligence electronic surveillance, organized subversion in the U.S. armed forces, communist bloc intelligence activities in the U.S., CIA illegal involvement in Chile, testimony of a KGB defector, intelligence reports on the necessity of ABM missile deployment, workings of the Cuban intelligence network, recent Soviet navy and military activities in Europe, CIA employee retirement and disability system, U.S defense strategies, national security acts, national security council briefings, threats to U.S. interests, Soviet Union and China military capabilities.

Examples: DOD plans for modernization of nuclear forces, military sealift performance in the Persian Gulf War, defense mobilization requirements of domestic industries, DOD efforts to improve defense communication systems, national defense stockpiles, strategic force modernization requirements, integration of military traffic management and military sealift command, U.S. military readiness, DOD combat readiness programs, DOD mobility fuel requirements, fleet readiness, test and evaluation of the armed forces, shortages of essential materials, stockpiling of critical materials, disposal of various stockpiled materials, military air transportation readiness, production of fluorspar .

See also: 803 strategic petroleum reserves; 1616 defense industry.

Examples: Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) budget requests and appropriations, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, destruction of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union, North Korean nuclear program, U.S. arms control policies, nonproliferation of chemical weapons, nuclear testing moratorium, DOE export controls of nuclear production material, arms export controls, arms reduction agreements between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, international ban on chemical weapons, global spread of chemical and biological weapons, prevention of sale of weapons system to Japan, START arms control treaty, conventional forces reduction, violation of arms control agreements, nuclear proliferation in developing countries, implication of INF treaty for NATO, Soviet Salt II treaty violations, UN report on nuclear proliferation, arms trade in the western hemisphere, nuclear exports to India, U.S.-Soviet arms race control, EURATOM agreements, atomic weapons research and development, Arms Export Control Act revisions.

See also: 1803 chemical and advanced technologies export control.

Examples: military assistance to other countries, conventional arms sales policies, sale of f-15 aircraft, commercial military sales, donation of an obsolete aircraft carrier, proposed sale of weapons, DOD costs related to sales of military equipment to foreign countries, sale of decommissioned ships

See also: 1901 for economic and military aid

Examples: DOD authorization requests for armed forces personnel strength levels, military personnel issues, child care programs at military installations, armed forces staffing requirements, imminent danger pay for those serving in the Persian gulf, DOD morale, welfare, and recreation programs, DOD officer promotion procedures, shortage of affordable housing for military families, benefits for military retiree spouses, special pay to encourage personnel retention, survivor benefit plans, defense officer personnel management act, status of army manpower, selective service system funding, unionization of military personnel, enlistment bonuses for service in a critical skill, increase flight pay for military aviators, recruiting and retention of military personnel, life insurance for military personnel, various personnel issues during W.W.II, Americans missing or prisoner in Asia, POW's in Vietnam, live sightings of U.S. prisoners of war, retired military personnel issues, military court martial, transportation of armed forces, air travel of armed forces, mail for armed forces, mail for servicemen, defense department overseas teachers pay and issues.

See also: 601 GI Bill and military academies.

1609: VA Issues

Examples: veterans programs budget requests, veteran's benefit claims, VA national cemetery system, veteran's job training, illness of Persian Gulf veterans, disabled veterans compensation, VA board of appeals adjudication procedures, VA benefits eligibility, compensation for veterans, cost of living adjustments for veterans, delays in processing veterans claims, problems faced by Vietnam era veterans, federal services for women veterans, VA life insurance programs, reorganization of veteran's food service operations, small business loans to veterans, consolidation of the veterans administration, veterans readjustment assistance act, veterans pay, veterans transportation issues.

See also: 300 series for veterans health care (.3 denotes military or veterans health); 601 veterans education benefits; 1407 veterans housing; 1409 homeless veterans; 2008 designating/naming Veterans Administration hospitals and medical centers; 1608 on-base military housing and retired military personnel.

Examples: DOD budget requests and appropriations for procurement of weapons, DOD procurement process, DOD aircraft procurement, funding for the B-2, shipbuilding and conversion programs, weapons system testing and evaluation, DOD contracting for support services, procurement of the Navy SSN-21 attack submarine, DOD purchasing and control of military supplies, contracting out of core logistic activities, M-16 rifle procurement program, health of strategic U.S. Industries.

See also: 1617 oversight of defense contractors and contractor fraud; 1604 adequacy of supplies.

Examples: military construction budget requests and appropriations, military construction programs, DOD commissary system, military lands withdraw, national war college restoration act, Fort Hood land acquisition, expansion of U.S. military bases in Spain, construction of bridges by the military, management of military clubs, military land conveyances, military real estate projects, national defense facilities act, military housing supplies, disposal of military property, construction of ordinance facilities, DOD real estate acquisitions, disposal of synthetic rubber facilities, sale of military stores to civilian employees, war plants disposal.

Examples: reserve officer personnel management, army reserve force structure, deactivation problems of reserve units participating in Desert Storm, management of military reserve vessels, management of reserve air fleet, national guard tort claims, survivor benefits for reservists, reserve members payments for life insurance, national guard retirement credit, reserve pay, flight training for ROTC, status of reserve facilities, promotion system for reserve officers, composition of the naval reserve.

See also: 601 ROTC college education.

Examples: environmental crimes at rocky flats nuclear weapons facility, radioactive and chemical contamination at nuclear weapons facility, disposal of defense related wastes, hazardous waste identification at military bases, navy shipboard waste disposal policy, nuclear site decontamination, DOD compliance with the clean air act, DOE nuclear weapons hazardous waste management, army disposal of chemical weapons stockpile, DOD shipment of toxic chemicals by rail, radioactive spills at an air force base, uranium mill tailings radiation control act, environmental impacts of MX missile siting.

See also: 704 nonmilitary hazardous waste disposal.

Examples: radiological emergency planning, civil reserve air fleet, federal civil defense act, effects of limited nuclear warfare, federal fallout shelter construction, civil defense air raid shelter program, civil defense for national survival, civil air patrol, dept. of the army appropriations for civil functions, Dept. Homeland Security and related functions, DHS and efforts to prevent domestic terrorism within U.S. borders .

See also: 1523 FEMA domestic (weather related) disaster relief; For foreign acts of terrorism, see: 1927 Hijacking, Terrorism; all substantive issues related to terrorism prevention efforts, e.g., FAA screening procedures, should be coded in the substantive topic area, e.g., 1003-Airports & Airlines .

Examples: assist workers affected by defense spending cuts, assist communities affected by DOD facilities closures, peacetime conversion of defense industry, base closure recommendations, maintenance of the U.S. defense industrial base, defense industry employment, protection of DOD civilian employees, closure of overseas military bases.

Examples: defense contract audit agency, management and pricing of DOD defense contracts, overpricing by DOD contractors, defense procurement fraud, DOD inventory control system problems, defense contractor financial data reporting requirements, inventory control and accounting procedures used Bell Helicopter, DOD employees ethics program, DOD contractors health insurance reimbursement policy, prosecution of fraudulent defense contractors, problem of product substitution by defense contractors, establish system for documenting defense contractor performance, fraud/cost overruns at General Dynamics, quality assurance problems at Hughes missile production facility, Navy spare parts procurement overpricing, DOD contract profit policy, DOD contract award procedures, review of military catalogue supply system, employment of DOD personnel by defense contractors.

Examples: appropriations for military operations in Vietnam, U.S. relations with Laos, cost of the Vietnam War, impact of the Vietnam War, war-related civilian problems in Laos and Cambodia, air war against North Vietnam, Gulf of Tonkin incidents, U.S-Laotian security relations, military strategy in the Korean War, military supplies and equipment in Korean War, ammunition shortage in Korean War, Korean War mobilization programs, prisoners of war, Geneva convention for protection of POW's, elimination of German resources for war, shipment of war relief supplies, Pearl Harbor attack, war assets administration, investigation of the Katyn Forest massacre.

See also: 1620 settlement of war related claims against the U.S. Government.

Examples: refunds or settlements for military dependents, relief of citizen injuries caused by the military, refunds for veterans, return of confiscated property, settlement of damage claims caused by war, settlement of foreign claims against military .

See also: 1929 - International or Foreign Claims Act; Foreign Claims Settlement Commission; 2015 – Claims against the U.S. Government.

Examples: DOD budget requests and appropriations for research and development, advanced materials research, laser technology, R&D on aerospace plane, office of Naval research, tilt rotor technology, DOD testing of airborne radar jammer, nuclear weapons R&D.

Examples: issues arising from the explosion aboard the U.S.S. Iowa, resolution honoring a DOD staff director, army helicopter safety, government liability for atomic weapons testing, environmental consequences of nuclear war, army food irradiation program, , military commemorative legislation, including the award of military medals and commemoratives, Congressional Gold Medals for military personnel, incorporate American War Mothers.

See also: 2101 military parks and memorials.

17. Space, Science, Technology and Communications

Examples: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy budget requests and appropriations, science and engineering personnel requirements for the 1990s, U.S. technology policy, FCC oversight review, reorganization of the FCC, national engineering and science policy, automation and technological change, FCC regulation of multiple subtopics (TV, telephone, cable, etc.).

See also: 1798 NSF research funding.

Examples: NASA budget requests and appropriations, NASA administrative issues, president's proposal for the space station Freedom, costs of the space station, national aerospace plane technology, policy goals for NASA space programs, problems with the Hubble Space Telescope, nuclear power and space exploration, review the space shuttle Challenger accident, international space policy, shuttle deployment of satellites, U.S. space cooperation with the Soviets, NASA satellite communications, Skylab 1 mechanical difficulties, Apollo 16 mission report, status of the Apollo program, NASA-DOD space programs budget requests and appropriations, DOD-NASA national aerospace plane program, NASA and DOD space launch vehicle requirements, missile development and space science, prototype construction of a commercial supersonic transport airplan e .

Examples: international competition in space launch services, U.S. commercial space launch industry, Landsat satellite sale to private sector, encourage private sector development of satellite launch vehicles, status of private investment in space activities, solar power satellite research, earth resources technology satellite program, communication satellites.

See also: 1707 satellite TV broadcasting; 1708 weather satellites.

Examples: technology transfer improvements act, technology transfer barriers and limitations, science cooperation between U.S. and Latin America, U.S.-East European cooperation in science research, U.S. policy of cooperation with foreign countries on science and technology, international science cooperation, technology transfer from the U.S. government to private industry, U.S.-Japan agreement to conduct more joint science and technology research, Department of Commerce technology transfer activities, international support for supercollider program, university and industry cooperation for technological advancements, create a national scientific information data processing center.

See also: 1803 restrictions on exports of high technology.

Examples: national communications infrastructure, mobile communications, telephone network reliability, unauthorized switching of consumers to long distance carriers, international communications regulation, FCC regulation of 1-900 numbers, telecommunication development in rural areas, AT&T regulation, FCC regulation of telephone rates, review FCC awarding of cellular licenses, regulation of interstate telecommunications, telecommunications research and policy development, FCC regulatory practice in telecommunications, dial-a-porn regulation.

See also: 208 telephone privacy; 1525 telephone marketing fraud.

Examples: Public Broadcasting Corporation budget requests and appropriations, FCC regulation of cable, reallocation of radio frequencies from federal to private sector use, FCC regulation of radio, use of TV in the classroom for educational purposes, regulation of violence on TV, closed caption regulation of TV, competitive problems in the cable industry, requirements for transferring radio/TV broadcast licenses, oversight of Board for International Broadcasting, FCC network acquisition approval, national public radio financial problems, establish the committee on film classification, regulation of films and broadcasts demeaning ethnic, racial or religious groups, FCC authority to regulate subscription TV, TV and movie rating system, newspaper industry regulation, Newsmen's Privilege Act.

See also: 1929 Radio Free Europe program

Examples: NOAA budget requests and appropriations, modernization of the national weather service, weather forecasting and warning technologies, NOAA and NASA global change research program, NOAA ocean research vessels, geological surveys of the U.S., agriculture weather information service, tornado forecasting and detection, status of the federal oceanographic fleet, adequacy of the national weather service severe storm forecasting, ocean and marine resources programs, U.S. marine and atmospheric science programs, arctic weather reporting stations.

See also: 710 protection of marine environments.

Examples: high-performance computer development, computer viruses, superconductivity research, security standards for government computers, lease of computer software.

Note: Issues related to specific issues with the Internet should be coded in their respective categories. For example, financial exploitation over the Internet should go in 1202 (White Collar Crime).

Examples: National Science Foundation (NSF) budget requests and appropriations, mission of NSF, alleged abuses of federal research grants to universities, federal cooperation with universities for science research, electric and magnetic field research, telecommunications equipment research, metals research and development, DOE superconducting supercollider program, improving research facilities for science in U.S. universities, HDTV research, robotics research.

Examples: establish a systematic approach to value engineering, consider various proposals for defining U.S. time zones, sightings of UFOs, establish a national science academy.

18. Foreign Trade

Examples: Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. International Trade Commission, or International Trade Administration, budget requests and appropriations, world steel trade trends and structures, various tariff and trade bills, oversight hearings on U.S. foreign trade policy, U.S. trade relations with socialist economies, trade reform act, trade expansion act, tax and trade regulations, customs court issues, trading with enemy acts .

See also: 401 foreign agricultural trade.

Examples: north American free trade agreement (NAFTA), Caribbean basin free trade agreements, U.S. job market implication of NAFTA, GATT final agreement, U.S.-EC meat trade disputes , multinational trade negotiations, U.S. and China trade relations, normalize economic relations between U.S. and the former Soviet Union, U.S. and Japanese commercial trade, MFN trading status of China, energy trade between U.S. and Canada, U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement, MFN status for Romania, taxation convention with Pakistan.

Examples: export development administration, compliance with U.S. trade laws related to the Arab boycott, export promotion programs, EX-IM bank export financing programs, restrictions on high technology exports, oil export controls, EPA regulation of waste exports, trade factors affecting U.S. timber exports, tax incentives to encourage exports, encourage formation of export companies, national security export licensing, export control to the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries.

Examples: foreign acquisition of U.S. owned companies, foreign direct investment in the U.S., improve federal coordination of information on foreign investments in the U.S., reciprocal foreign investment protections, promotion of U.S. business investment in developing countries, U.S. private investments in South Africa, review foreign bank takeovers, evaluation of the overseas private investment corporation, investors involvement in illegal payments to foreign officials, activities of American multinational corporations abroad, foreign investment and American jobs, removal of tax barriers as an incentive for increased foreign investments, trade fairs.

Examples: international competitiveness of the U.S. automobile industry, national competitiveness act fostering technological development, report of the competitiveness council policy, U.S. industrial trade competitiveness, federal role in supporting hi-tech competitiveness, U.S. international economic competitiveness, foreign competition in the banking industry, international competitive status of the U.S. electronics industry, Buy American Act.

See also: 108 domestic industry productivity.

Examples: violation of country of origin documentation to avoid import quotas, steel import restrictions, increase of duties on materials to make pipes, expedite Commerce Dept. responses for import restriction requests, restrict import activity that adversely affects industries vital to national security, country of origin labeling requirements, U.S. textiles import quota program, countervailing duty waivers, aviation tariff charges, prohibit importation of Rhodesian chrome, duty-free entry, various tariff proposals, meat import restrictions, antidumping act and import restrictions, import restrictions for the domestic shoe manufacturing industry, import relief for leather industry, embargo on certain fish and fish products, free entry of various items to colleges, universities, and for other purposes, foreign trade zones.

Examples: Dept. of Treasury exchange rate policy, DOT international financial policy, currency manipulation and foreign exchange rates, exchange value of the dollar, U.S. policy regarding dollar decline in foreign exchange value, impact of exchange rates in U.S. trade, international monetary reform, eurocurrency monetary control, Vietnamese currency transfer legislation, fluctuation of the yen-dollar exchange rate.

19. International Affairs and Foreign Aid

Examples: Department of State and U.S. Information Agency Budget Requests and Appropriations, U.S. foreign policy in view of recent world political developments, U.S. post cold war foreign policy, U.S. foreign policy and national defense issues, international tax treaties, international development and security, the U.S. ideological offensive--changing foreign opinion about the U.S., role of the diplomatic corps in foreign policy development and administration, foreign operations appropriations, information and educational exchange act, require Senate approval of treaty termination, establish the U.S. academy of peace, role of multinational corporations in U.S. foreign policy, Department of Peace, National Peace Agency.

Examples: Foreign Assistance budget requests and appropriations, emergency food assistance program, U.S. economic aid to eastern Europe, U.S. foreign aid to the Soviet Union, foreign assistance and Peace Corps programs, U.S. assistance programs in Africa, proposals for financial assistance to Northern Ireland, donation of surplus agriculture products to countries with famine, U.S. international health assistance activities, migration and refugee assistance, food for peace program, European recovery program, international disaster relief, Foreign Assistance Act and its relationship to drugs.

Examples: Antarctic environmental protection, prevention of high-seas drift net fishing, U.S. territorial sea boundaries, international agreements on fishing, Antarctic minerals policy, U.S. policy regarding the International Whaling Commission, foreign fishing in U.S. Territorial waters, regulation of exploration and recovery of international seabed hard minerals, north pacific seal fur treaty between the U.S, Canada, Japan, and the Soviets, UN conference on the law of the sea, attempts to outlaw whaling, international conservation efforts.

See also: 700 domestic environmental protection.

Examples: developing countries population problems, global hunger and food availability, impact of AIDS on children in developing countries, homeless children in developing countries, international family planning, role of environmental degradation in causing famine, assess elementary and secondary education programs in developing countries, effect of economic development projects on public health in developing countries, infant nutrition education practices, world population growth and its impact on natural resources,

See also: 1911 famine in Africa .

Examples: International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, multilateral development bank loans, Inter-American development bank, third world debt problems, Council on International Economic Policy, Agency for International Development (AID), private sector development in Africa, U.S. financial contribution to the IMF, European development and the U.S. economy, promotion of economic development in Latin America, Paris economic summit issues, international financial management systems improvement, economic development in the Caribbean Basin, strategies to alleviate third world debt, world economic situation and U.S. economic policies, international debt and implications for international financial institutions, east-west economic relations, international energy development assistance programs, Bretton Woods agreement increasing U.S. contributions to the IMF.

Examples: U.S. policy towards China, 1989 Chinese student demonstrations, the return of Hong Kong to China, recent political repression in China, China interference with U.S. mail, nuclear energy cooperation with China, U.S. policy regarding China and Taiwan.

Examples: current agricultural situation in Russia, financial implications of Soviet economic reform, U.S policy on Ukrainian security, economic conditions in Russia, safety of Soviet Union nuclear plants, Soviet trade and economic policies, use of Soviet propaganda to influence world opinion, Soviet Union treatment of certain religious groups, assessment of Soviet activities in Asia, treaties between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Soviet activities in Cuba, military and political rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Soviet political leadership and implications for U.S. foreign policy, scope of Soviet activity in the U.S., containing Soviet aggression, Soviet Jews, policy issues related to the nations of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia and the other former republics of the Soviet Union.

See also: 1605 U.S.-Soviet arms agreements; 1901 U.S. foreign aid to the former Soviet Union .

Examples: conflict between Bosnia and Serbia, environment and energy issues in Eastern Europe, U.S. relations with East Germany, political changes in East Europe, U.S. Hungarian claims settlement agreement, Yugoslavia earthquake and foreign relief assistance, status of nations under communist control, investigation of communist takeover of Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, and Slovakia.

Examples: U.S. relations with Europe, 1990 German reunification, extradition treaty between U.S., UK and Northern Ireland, political and economic conditions in Europe, tax convention with the UK, Western European union, treaty of friendship and cooperation with Spain, U.S. policy toward Portugal, labor market policy in Sweden, British entry into the Common Market and its implications for the U.S., civil conflict in Northern Ireland, peace treaties with Italy and Romania, treaties with Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece.

See also: policy issues exclusively dealing with Turkey – 1920 (Middle East)

Examples: Southern African drought and implications for U.S. policy, AIDS epidemic in Africa, crisis in Somalia, civil war in Liberia, political developments in Mozambique, U.S. policy toward Zaire, famine and civil unrest in Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia, prospects for improving food development in Africa, objectives of U.S. involvement in civil war in Angola, State Dept. trip through south and central Africa, health and refugee problems in Africa, U.S. role in opening the Suez Canal, issues related to the Sudan, Egypt, Libya and other nations on the continent of Africa.

Examples: economic sanctions against South Africa, South African war with Namibia, administration policies on apartheid, restrictions for U.S. business in South Africa, world court decision on South Africa's racist policies.

Examples: political developments in El Salvador, democracy and reconciliation in Nicaragua, Guatemala peace negotiations, democratic reform in Peru and U.S. policy, promotion of democracy in Cuba, U.S. policies and interest in Latin America, U.S. policy toward Central America, violence along the U.S.-Mexican border, political situation in Haiti, U.S. relations with Honduras, prospects for democratic government in Chile, ban on travel to Cuba.

Examples: Panama Canal Commission appropriations, strategic importance of the Panama Canal, claims for ship damages in the Panama Canal, Panama Canal treaty issues, Panama Canal traffic and capacity, maintenance and operation of the Canal, development of new transoceanic canal.

Examples: U.S. policies in the South Pacific region, U.S. Asia economic relations, U.S. policy toward Hong Kong, U.S. economic embargo on North Vietnam, U.S. policy toward Burma, political developments in the Philippines, U.S. relations with Cambodia, U.S. relations with newly industrialized Asian countries, U.S. relations with New Zealand and Australia, implications of the Union Carbide accident in India, Japanese income tax system, declining political status of Taiwan, U.S.-Japanese relations, Indochina refugee assistance program, humanitarian problems in Korea, political situation in Thailand, U.S. policy towards Afghanistan.

Examples: political developments in the Middle East, restoration of the Kuwaiti government after the Persian Gulf War, U.S. and international policy toward humanitarian aid to Iraq, Asian responses to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, peace process in the Middle East, U.S. relations with Iran, dispute over the West Bank, hostages in Lebanon, U.S. opposition to PLO application to the World Health Organization, Islamic fundamentalism and implications for U.S. interests in the Middle East, Arab-Israeli conflict, U.S. policy towards Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Turkey, or Iran .

See also: for issues dealing with the conflict between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus , see 1910 ( Western Europe ).

Examples: Human rights abuses in Latin America, human rights abuses in Middle East, war crimes tribunal hearings for Serbs, U.S. international human rights policy, Helsinki Accords human rights agreements, UN report on human rights in Cuba, Soviet human rights issues, government use of torture, human rights violations in Indonesia, worldwide religious persecution, crimes associated with genocide and crimes against humanity.

Examples: U.N. conference on environment and development, management of the U.N., international labor organization, U.N. peacekeeping forces, termination of U.S. membership in UNESCO, international games for the disabled, international criminal court, UN food and agricultural organization, UN activities in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, review of U.S. role in the U.N., planning preparation for 1984 summer Olympics, U.N. position on major policy issues, International Health Agency, U.N. report on international housing, construction of Olympic facilities.

Examples: U.S. protection of witnesses of terrorist acts, security of nuclear plants from terrorist attacks, impact of international terrorism on travel, legal mechanisms to combat terrorism, political killings in foreign countries and the international response, West Germany's political response to terrorism, international aircraft piracy.

For Dept. of Homeland Security related functions, see 1615 Civil Defense and Homeland Security; domestic terrorism prevention efforts within U.S. borders.

Examples: State Department’s management of U.S. embassies, U.S. citizens living abroad, regulation of travel for U.S. citizens, restrictions on foreign diplomatic immunity, Overseas Teacher Act, enhancement of security at U.S. diplomatic missions, reform the foreign service personnel system, U.S. citizens imprisoned in Mexico, passport fraud problems, training of foreign affairs personnel, Voice of America program, Radio Free Europe program, Unites States Information Agency (USIA), Peace Corps, U.S. Academy of Foreign Service or U.S. Foreign Service Academy, Radio Marti, designation of public international organizations, International Claims Act, Foreign Claims Act, Foreign Claims Settlement Commission

See also: 1603 espionage; 208 for display of USIA programs in US

20. Government Operations

Examples: budget requests for various agencies and independent commissions, budget requests for DOL, HHS, and DOE, appropriations for VA, HUD, and independent agencies, budget requests for DOC, DOS, and DOJ, appropriations for the GSA, budget requests for legislative branch programs, supplemental appropriation bills, appropriations for the Treasury, Postal Service, and general government appro