Policy Library

7,020 documents

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): By the Numbers
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-14 · Reports · 12,710 words · PDF available
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative has commanded interest and attention since its unveiling in 2012. It has provided protection from deportation and work authorization to a s...
Reporting Carbon Dioxide Injection and Storage: Federal Authorities and Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-13 · Reports · 9,925 words · PDF available
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is a suite of processes and technologies viewed by some stakeholders as essential for mitigating anthropogenic CO2 emissions into the...
Poverty in the United States in 2019
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-13 · Reports · 7,967 words · PDF available
Calendar year 2019 was the last full year before the start of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the last year of the economic expansion since the Great Recession. The strength of t...
Negotiated Rulemaking: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-12 · Reports · 6,037 words · PDF available
Negotiated rulemaking is a process sometimes used by federal agencies to develop proposed rules. In negotiated rulemaking, an agency convenes a committee of stakeholders with the goal of reaching a co...
GAO and Inspector General Recommendations to Agencies: An Introduction
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-12 · Resources · 1,515 words · PDF available
Congress has established a number of institutions dedicated to monitoring and reporting on federal agencies and making recommendations to improve their integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness. These ...
COVID-19 and Private Health Insurance Coverage: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-09 · Reports · 10,309 words · PDF available
There is considerable congressional interest in understanding private health insurance coverage of health benefits related to the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This report addr...
The National Science Foundation: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-09 · Reports · 12,806 words · PDF available
The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic research and education in the non-medical sciences and engineering. Congress established the foundation as an independent federal agency through th...
The Law of Asylum Procedure at the Border: Statutes and Agency Implementation
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-09 · Reports · 22,218 words · PDF available
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) generally provides for the removal of non-U.S. citizens or nationals (“aliens,” under the INA) encountered at the border without valid entry documents, unless...
“Technical Corrections” and Other Revisions to the 2017 Tax Revision (P.L. 115-97)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-08 · Reports · 10,106 words · PDF available
Congress has been discussing “technical corrections” to the 2017 tax revision (commonly known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” or TCJA; P.L. 115-97) since shortly after the act’s passage on December 22...
Kosovo: Background and U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-08 · Reports · 9,401 words · PDF available
Kosovo, a country in the Western Balkans with a predominantly Albanian-speaking population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, less than a decade after a brief but lethal war. It has since bee...
Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments and COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-08 · Reports · 6,750 words · PDF available
In rare situations, Medicare Part A providers (e.g., acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other inpatient care facilities) and Part B suppliers (e.g., physicians, nonphysician practit...
The Fair Housing Act: HUD Oversight, Programs, and Activities
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-07 · Reports · 13,493 words · PDF available
The federal Fair Housing Act, enacted in 1968 as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act (P.L. 90-284), prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing based on race, color, religion,...
Judiciary Appropriations, FY2021
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-05 · Reports · 11,622 words · PDF available
Funds for the judicial branch are included annually in the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill. The bill provides funding for the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Court of...
SPAC IPO: Background and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-05 · Resources · 1,556 words · PDF available
A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is a type of “blank-check” company that raises capital through initial public offerings (IPOs) with the intention to use the proceeds to acquire other comp...
Broker-Dealers and Payment for Order Flow
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-02 · Resources · 1,480 words · PDF available
Introduction The last few years have witnessed an unprecedented surge in retail investor securities trading at major discount broker-dealers such as Robinhood, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and E*Tra...
Spending Clause Conditions and the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-02 · Posts · 2,639 words · PDF available
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) tasks the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) with disbursing to states more than $190 billion appropriated for the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund...
Climate Change Adaptation: Department of Commerce
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-01 · Reports · 19,526 words · PDF available
Climate change affects the mission and programs of the Department of Commerce (DOC) and its agencies, and these effects are likely to continue. DOC’s wide-ranging responsibilities include trade enforc...
FEMA’s Public Assistance Program: A Primer and Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-01 · Reports · 25,935 words
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) Program is central to contemporary U.S. federal emergency and disaster relief. Over the past 10 years, PA has been authorized in...
Torres v. Madrid: Police Use of Force, Fourth Amendment Seizures, and Fleeing Suspects
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-01 · Posts · 2,832 words · PDF available
UPDATE: On March 25, 2021 the Supreme Court held in a 5-to-3 decision in Torres v. Madrid that the “application of physical force to the body of a person with intent to restrain is a seizure” within t...
High Court to Review Tribal Police Search and Seizure Case
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-01 · Posts · 2,533 words · PDF available
Update: On March 23, 2021, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the tribal police search and seizure case covered in this post, United States v. Cooley. The case challenges a tribal police office...
Tax Credit Bonds: Overview and Analysis
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-01 · Reports · 7,615 words
Nearly all state and local governments sell bonds to finance public projects and certain qualified private activities. The federal government subsidizes state and local bond issuances through a number...
Supreme Court Appointment Process: Senate Debate and Confirmation Vote
Congressional Research Service · 2021-04-01 · Reports · 18,051 words · PDF available
The procedure for appointing a Justice to the Supreme Court is provided for in the U.S. Constitution in only a few words. The “Appointments Clause” in the Constitution (Article II, Section 2, clause 2...
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-31 · Reports · 6,847 words · PDF available
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA; Title IV of P.L. 103-322) was originally enacted in 1994 and has been reauthorized three times. It was last reauthorized in 2013 (P.L. 113-4). At the end of FY201...
Origins and Impact of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Provisions That Expired on March 15, 2020
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-31 · Reports · 7,235 words
Congress enacted two amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in 2001 as part of the USA PATRIOT Act. Section 206 of the USA PATRIOT Act amended FISA to permit multipoint, or “ro...
Drug Pricing and Intellectual Property: The Legislative Landscape for the 117th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-31 · Reports · 25,068 words · PDF available
Intellectual property (IP) rights play an important role in the development and pricing of pharmaceuticals, such as prescription drugs and biological products (biologics). To provide incentives for re...
Searches and Seizures at the Border and the Fourth Amendment
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-30 · Reports · 43,165 words · PDF available
Congress has broad authority to regulate persons or items entering the United States, an authority that is rooted in its power to regulate foreign commerce and to protect the integrity of the nation’s...
Mergers and Acquisitions in Digital Markets
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-30 · Reports · 13,035 words · PDF available
Some Members of Congress have expressed concern about mergers and acquisitions in digital markets, specifically those involving “Big Tech”—Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft. Me...
COVID-19 Response: Broadband Funding for Tribes, Tribal Colleges and Universities, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Indian Health Service
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-30 · Resources · 1,352 words · PDF available
Three recent enacted laws that, in whole or in part, address the effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic provided both direct and indirect broadband funding for American Indian tri...
Agricultural Biotechnology: Overview, Regulation, and Selected Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-29 · Reports · 20,524 words · PDF available
Agricultural biotechnology refers to a range of tools—including genetic engineering and some conventional breeding techniques—to genetically modify living plants, animals, microbes, and other organism...
Executive Orders: An Introduction
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-29 · Reports · 13,768 words · PDF available
Executive orders are written instruments through which a President can issue directives to shape policy. Although the U.S. Constitution does not address executive orders and no statute grants the Pres...
“Staying Nuclear”?: Legal Challenges to State Subsidies for Aging Nuclear Power Plants and Related FERC Actions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-26 · Posts · 1,481 words · PDF available
Nuclear power plants can produce large amounts of electricity with relatively low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, potentially assisting the United States in reducing such emissions. But the U.S. nucle...
Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) in Transportation
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-26 · Reports · 8,200 words · PDF available
Public-private partnerships (P3s) in transportation are contractual relationships typically between a state or local government, which are the owners of most transportation infrastructure, and a priva...
Scholl v. Mnuchin and Economic Impact Payments
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-26 · Posts · 2,235 words · PDF available
Congress established a new temporary refundable tax credit in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Pub. L. No. 116-136, codified in Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 6...
Supreme Court Decision Sheds Light on State Authority to Regulate Health Care Costs
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-26 · Posts · 1,934 words · PDF available
Alongside recent federal efforts to combat escalating prescription drug costs, state governments have sought to address these high costs within their borders. Many state efforts involve restrictions o...
Housing for Former Foster Youth: Federal Support
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-25 · Reports · 19,877 words · PDF available
This report focuses on federal efforts to meet the housing needs of former foster youth as they transition to adulthood. This includes youth who have reached the age of majority in their state and are...
Community Development Block Grants: Funding and Allocation Processes
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-24 · Reports · 9,914 words
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) is a long-standing program providing flexible federal funding to states and localities t...
Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century: The Viability of Incorporating Natural Infrastructure in Bureau of Reclamation Water Management Systems
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-24 · Testimony · 4,206 words · PDF available
water resource; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; natural infrastructure; nature-based infrastructure; groundwater storage; aquifer recharge; watershed restoration
Recent White House Actions on Immigration
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-23 · Posts · 2,485 words · PDF available
In the past several weeks, the Biden Administration has engaged in a series of executive actions on a range of issues. Some concern the administration and enforcement of federal immigration laws. The...
Federal Deficits, Growing Debt, and the Economy in the Wake of COVID-19
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-23 · Reports · 8,770 words · PDF available
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a swift and deep economic downturn from which the country has yet to fully recover. In response to COVID-19, the federal government enacted expa...
United Nations Issues: Cabinet Rank of the U.S. Permanent Representative
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-23 · Resources · 1,614 words · PDF available
The U.S. Permanent Representative is the chief representative of the United States to the United Nations. The President appoints the Permanent Representative with the advice and consent of the Senate....
Federal Data on Hate Crimes in the United States
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-22 · Reports · 6,738 words · PDF available
A number of recent and high-profile crimes where the offenders’ actions appeared to be motivated by their bias or animosity towards a particular race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or ...
H.R. 51,the Washington, D.C. Admission Act
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-22 · Testimony · 7,206 words · PDF available
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The Liquidity Coverage Ratio and the Net Stable Funding Ratio
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-22 · Resources · 1,865 words
Issue Overview Federal bank regulators have issued final rules implementing the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and the net stable funding ratio (NSFR) for large banks. This In Focus explains the ratio...
Federal Resources for State and Local Economic Development
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-22 · Resources · 1,494 words · PDF available
Congress has authorized over 130 economic development programs, which are administered by over 20 departments and agencies. Federal resources for economic development are often delivered to state and ...
Defining a Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher (SDFR): In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-19 · Reports · 6,505 words · PDF available
A socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher (SDFR) refers to a farmer or rancher who is a member of a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic discrimination (7 U.S.C. §2279) and in ...
FY2021 Appropriations for Agricultural Conservation
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-19 · Reports · 6,342 words · PDF available
The Agriculture appropriations bill funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) except for the Forest Service. The FY2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-260, Division A) includes fundin...
Finding Medicare Enrollment Statistics
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-19 · Reports · 2,196 words · PDF available
No single source for Medicare enrollment statistics exists. This report describes various sources that present different breakdowns of enrollment data, including by coverage type (Part A, Part B, Part...
Asylum Processing at the Border: Legal Basics
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-19 · Posts · 2,606 words · PDF available
Recent statistics and reports from the southern border show a sharp increase in the arrival of non-U.S. nationals (called “aliens” under governing law) who lack visas or other valid entry documents. (...
An Overview of Federal Regulations and the Rulemaking Process
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-19 · Resources · 1,443 words · PDF available
Overview of Rulemaking What Is Federal Rulemaking? Congress often grants rulemaking authority to federal agencies to implement statutory programs. The regulations issued pursuant to this authority car...
Supreme Court Considers Standard for Voting Rights Act Claims
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-18 · Posts · 3,518 words · PDF available
In a potentially significant case, the Supreme Court is considering the proper standard for evaluating claims of discriminatory voting laws under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). On M...