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The article focuses on helping people find military service records, awards, and unit histories with thorough information on how to access various sources, such as personnel files at the National Archives, and ways to receive military awards. Topics include receiving military awards and decorations through the National Personnel Records Center and other pertinent authorities, accessing military service records and pension files, and navigating the corrections process.

The article discusses the historical evolution of internet regulation in the United States, particularly during the 1990s when the government favored limited oversight and encouraged self-regulation by the private sector. It outlines key federal statutes related to the internet, such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Communications Decency Act, including the influential Section 230.

The article focuses on Department of the Interior's (DOI's) Payments in Lieu of Taxes program provides compensation for certain tax-exempt federal lands, known as entitlement lands. It mentions PILT entitlement lands include lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It also mentions U.S. Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture; federal water projects; some military installations and selected other lands.

Members of Congress frequently receive requests from grantseekers needing funds for projects in districts and states. In considering a response, a congressional office might first determine its policies and procedures regarding appropriate assistance to give constituents, such as when to provide information on grants programs or active advocacy of projects. Each office handles grants requests in its own way, depending upon the Member’s legislative agenda and overall organization and workload of office staff. As for staffing, there may be a full-time grants specialist or several staff members under the supervision of a grants coordinator working solely in the area of grants and projects. In some offices, all grants requests are handled in the district or state office; in others, they are answered by Capitol Hill staff. Offices may encourage congressional grants staff to learn about the grants process themselves and identify practices, in accordance with office policies, that may assist grantseekers at each step in the process. To learn about grants work, congressional staff can use CRS reports to identify potential sources of information for government and private funding and for details on selected grants programs. In addition to the current report, reports on grants work include CRS Report RL34012, Resources for Grantseekers; and CRS Report RL32159, How to Develop and Write a Grant Proposal. CRS also offers reports on block grants and the appropriations process; federal assistance for homeland security and terrorism preparedness; and federal programs on specific subjects and for specific groups, such as state and local governments, police and fire departments, libraries and museums, nonprofit organizations, small business, and other topics. To educate constituents, a congressional office may provide selected grantseekers information on funding programs or may sometimes sponsor workshops on federal and private assistance. Because most funding resources are on the internet, Member home pages can also link to grants sources, such as Assistance Listings at SAM.gov and Grants.gov, so that constituents can search for grants programs and funding opportunities. The CRS web page, Grants and Federal Domestic Assistance (see sample Member Grants Page), can be added to a Member’s home page upon request and is updated automatically on House and Senate servers. Another CRS resource, Grants and Federal Assistance, covers key CRS products. To help communicate office policies and procedures, respond to frequent grants questions, and train new congressional staff, a congressional office may consider developing an internal grants manual. In addition to a single place to locate grants-related office policies and procedures, a grants manual may include templates for letters of support, instructional tools for new staff, and lists of local contacts. With reductions in federal programs, and with most government grants requiring matching funds, local contacts could include private or corporate foundations that may serve as alternatives or supplements to federal grants. This report will be updated at the beginning of each Congress and as needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a report from the U.S. Congressional Research Service on federal grants. Topics discussed include alternative funding options for grant seekers, such as loans or assistance programs; provides sources for identifying federal grants and private foundation funding; and report provides an overview of the grant process, eligibility for federal grants, and includes additional resources for writing grant proposals.

Federal grants are intended to meet goals authorized by Congress and often target community needs. Federal grants are not guaranteed benefits or entitlements to individuals. Most federal grant funds go to state and local governments, which in turn may award funds as sub-awards to local entities, such as nonprofit organizations. Because of this, contacting federal departments and agencies, state-level grants administering agencies (SAAs), or both to discuss grant opportunities is likely to be an important step for many grantseekers. However, due to limited purposes of grants and competition for available funding, grantseekers seeking government aid might need to search for funding options other than grants. For instance, individuals may be eligible for other kinds of benefits or assistance. Small businesses and students may be eligible for loans. Sources that grantseekers need to identify federal grants are available from federal government websites for free. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (or "Assistance Listings" database) at beta.SAM.gov describes more than 2,200 federal programs, more than half of them grants, and can be searched by keyword, department or agency, program title, beneficiary, and applicant eligibility. Federal department and agency websites provide additional information and guidance, and they provide state agency contacts, given that some federal grant opportunities may be administered by state-level agencies. Once a program has been identified, eligible grantseekers may apply for grants at the website Grants.gov through a uniform process for many agencies (for state-administered federal grants, applicants may apply through the state-level agency). Through Grants.gov, grantseekers may identify when federal funding notices and deadlines for a program become available, sign up for email notification of funding opportunities, and track the progress of submitted applications. Because government funds may be limited, sources of private and corporate foundation funding may be important to consider. Sources for nongovernmental funding are available online from organizations supporting grantseekers. For example, Candid (formerly the Foundation Center and GuideStar) is a clearinghouse for information about private, corporate, and community foundations, with publicly-accessible collections of resources in every state. These private, corporate, and community foundations often maintain their own websites with information for grantseekers. This report provides a brief introduction to the grant process, describes key sources of information on government and private funding, and outlines eligibility for federal grants. This report also includes some sources for information on writing grant proposals. Additional sources for grantseekers include reports such as CRS Report RL32159, How to Develop and Write a Grant Proposal, by Maria Kreiser; and CRS Report RL34035, Grants Work in a Congressional Of f ice, by Maria Kreiser. This report is updated at the beginning of every Congress and as needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of Congress frequently receive requests from grantseekers needing funds for projects in districts and states. In considering a response, a congressional office might first determine its policies and procedures regarding appropriate assistance to give constituents, such as when to provide information on grants programs or active advocacy of projects. Each office handles grants requests in its own way, depending upon the Member's legislative agenda and overall organization and workload of office staff. As for staffing, there may be a full-time grants specialist or several staff members under the supervision of a grants coordinator working solely in the area of grants and projects. In some offices, all grants requests are handled in the district or state office; in others, they are answered by Capitol Hill staff. Offices may encourage congressional grants staff to learn about the grants process themselves and identify practices, in accordance with office policies, that may assist grantseekers at each step in the process. To learn about grants work, congressional staff can use CRS reports to identify potential sources of information for government and private funding and for details on selected grants programs. In addition to the current report, reports on grants work include CRS Report RL34012, Resources f or Grantseekers; and CRS Report RL32159, How to Develop and Write a Grant Proposal. CRS also offers reports on block grants and the appropriations process; federal assistance for homeland security and terrorism preparedness; and federal programs on specific subjects and for specific groups, such as state and local governments, police and fire departments, libraries and museums, nonprofit organizations, small business, and other topics. To educate constituents, a congressional office may provide selected grantseekers information on funding programs or may sometimes sponsor workshops on federal and private assistance. Because most funding resources are on the internet, Member home pages can also link to grants sources, such as Assistance Listings at beta.SAM.gov and Grants.gov, so that constituents can search for grants programs and funding opportunities. The CRS web page, Grants and Federal Domestic Assistance (see sample Member Grants Page), can be added to a Member's home page upon request and is updated automatically on House and Senate servers. Another CRS resource, Grants and Federal Assistance, covers key CRS products. To help communicate office policies and procedures, respond to frequent grants questions, and train new congressional staff, a congressional office may consider developing an internal grants manual. In addition to a single place to locate grants-related office policies and procedures, a grants manual may include templates for letters of support, instructional tools for new staff, and lists of local contacts. With reductions in federal programs, and with most government grants requiring matching funds, local contacts could include private or corporate foundations that may serve as alternatives or supplements to federal grants. This report will be updated at the beginning of each Congress and as needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of Congress receive frequent requests from grant seekers needing funds for projects in districts and states. The congressional office should first determine its priorities regarding the appropriate assistance to give constituents, from providing information on grants programs to active advocacy of projects. Congressional grants staff can best help grant seekers by first themselves gaining some understanding of the grants process. Each office handles grants requests in its own way, depending upon the Member's legislative agenda and overall organization and workload. There may be a full-time grants specialist or several staff members under the supervision of a grants coordinator working solely in the area of grants and projects. In some offices, all grants requests are handled in the district or state office; in others, they are answered by the Washington, DC, staff. To assist grant seekers applying for federal funds, congressional offices can develop working relationships with grants officers in federal and state departments and agencies. Because more than 80% of federal funds go to state and local governments that, in turn, manage federal grants and sub-award to applicants in their state, congressional staff need to identify their own state administering offices. To educate constituents, a congressional office may provide selected grant seekers information on funding programs or may sometimes sponsor workshops on federal and private assistance. Because most funding resources are on the Internet, Member home pages can also link to grants sources such as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) and Grants.gov so that constituents themselves can search for grants programs and funding opportunities. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) web page, Grants and Federal Domestic Assistance, by Maria A. Kreiser (see sample at http://www.crs.gov/resources/MEMBER-GRANTS-PAGE), can be added to a Member's home page upon request and is updated automatically on House and Senate servers. Another CRS web page, Grants and Federal Assistance, by Maria Kreiser and Julie Jennings, at http://www.crs.gov/resources/GRANTS, covers key CRS products. Congressional staff can use CRS reports to learn about grants work and to provide information on government and private funding. In addition to the current report, these include CRS Report RS21117, Ethical Considerations in Assisting Constituents With Grant Requests Before Federal Agencies, by Jack Maskell; CRS Report RL34012, Resources for Grantseekers, by Julie Jennings and Maria A. Kreiser; and CRS Report RL34035, Grants Work in a Congressional Office, by Julie Jennings and Maria A. Kreiser. CRS also offers reports on block grants and the appropriations process; federal assistance for homeland security and terrorism preparedness; and federal programs on specific subjects and for specific groups, such as state and local governments, police and fire departments, libraries and museums, nonprofit organizations, small business, and other topics. An internal grants manual outlining office policies and procedures, including perhaps templates for letters of support, might be developed to help grants staff. With reductions in federal programs, and with most government grants requiring matching funds, grants staff should also become familiar with other funding, such as private or corporate foundations, as alternatives or supplements to federal grants. This report will be updated at the beginning of each Congress and as needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on fact sheet which is designed to assist U.S. Congressional offices with searching current and recent news articles and transcripts and which also includes locations of where subscription databases can be accessed. Topics discussed include selected news databases such as CQ.com and CQ Press, OnlineNewspapers.com and ProQuest, selected news transcript resources such as CNN Transcripts and selected radio and television resources such as C-SPAN Schedules.

The article discusses the sources of statistics on American war and military operations. Topics covered include how the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) provides detailed historical tables and annual statistics on active duty military deaths and lists names of the dead for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Provides an overview of the processing of grants by members of the U.S. Congress. Way in which congressional offices can assist constituents applying for federal funds; Background of the appropriations process; Establishment and maintenance of federal contacts; Basic grants resources for a congressional office.

Presents a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that the U.S. Congress considered for fiscal year 2001. Summary of the current legislative status of the bill; Major issues associated with the bill; Funding levels and related legislative activity.