After hearing repeatedly about the “Fiscal Cliff” there comes a time when you may want more detailed information than what the news is providing. The Law Librarian Blog recently linked to a CRS Report called “The ‘Fiscal Cliff’: Macroeconomic Consequences of Tax Increases and Spending Cuts” that can help.
CRS Reports are written by the Congressional Research Service (“CRS”), which is a non-partisan body that works for the United States Congress. Its reports provide policy and legal analysis to the House and Senate. Most CRS Reports I have seen are succinct explanations of issues confronting Congress. They are intended to help members of Congress get up to speed quickly on important issues. Because of this, they are quite helpful for law students or others who are doing research in particular areas or who want to stay up to date with current issues.
While created for Congress, CRS Reports are not disseminated to the public like other government documents. Some places to find CRS Reports online are Open CRS, the University of North Texas Digital Library, and the State Department.