Congressional Use of Advisory Commissions Following Crises
Throughout U.S. history, Congress has used advisory commissions to assist in the development of public policy. Among other contexts, commissions have been used following crisis situations, including t...
Judges Urge Congress to Revise What Can Be Patented
UPDATE (March 23, 2020): On January 13, 2020, the Supreme Court denied the petition for a writ of certiorari in Athena Diagnostics, Inc. v. Mayo Collaborative Services. Accordingly, the Supreme Court ...
Postponing Federal Elections and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Legal Considerations
On March 13, 2020, Louisiana’s Governor invoked emergency powers to announce that the state’s presidential primary election, previously scheduled for April 4, would be postponed for more than two mont...
The Hours of Service (HOS) Rule for Commercial Truck Drivers and the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, on March 13, 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a national emergency declaration to exempt from the Hours of Service (HOS) rule through April 12,...
Telework in Executive Agencies: Background, OPM Guidance, and 116th Congress Legislation Following Coronavirus
Background
The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, enacted on December 9, 2010 (P.L. 111-292, 124 Stat. 3165), and codified at Chapter 65 of Title 5 of the United States Code, authorizes telework in exe...
Business Tax Provisions Expiring in 2020, 2021, and 2022 (“Tax Extenders”)
Thirteen temporary business tax provisions are scheduled to expire at the end of 2020. Four other temporary business tax provisions are scheduled to expire in 2021 or 2022. In the past, Congress has r...
Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP): History and Overview
Congress established the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) through the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-282). The act states, “The...
Mathena v. Malvo—A Challenge to Life Without Parole for the Juvenile D.C. Sniper
UPDATE: On February 24, 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed into law HB 35, which provides that any person previously sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for offenses committed as a...
ESEA: Title I-A Standards, Assessments, Accountability, Report Cards, and Frequently Asked Questions
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; P.L. 114-95), provides federal aid for elementary and secondary education. The largest ESEA progr...
Wells Fargo—A Timeline of Recent Consumer Protection and Corporate Governance Scandals
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., is a large federally chartered depository bank. It is a subsidiary of Wells Fargo and Company, a bank holding company (hereinafter, Wells Fargo or the bank). Wells Fargo is the...
Electric Vehicles: A Primer on Technology and Selected Policy Issues
The market for electrified light-duty vehicles (also called passenger vehicles; including passenger cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, and minivans) has grown since the 1990s. During this decade, the first co...