COVID-19 Electric Utility Disconnections
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many utilities, local governments, and state governments have implemented policies to suspend disconnections for nonpayment, known as disconnection moratoria. The...
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY2021 Appropriations
Since FY2006, Congress has funded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills. Released February 10, 2020, the President’s bu...
HIPAA, Telehealth, and COVID-19
In recent years, health care providers have increasingly turned to technology to provide remote health care services to patients (i.e., “telehealth”). This use of telehealth has only become more impor...
The Universal Service Fund and COVID-19: The FCC and Industry Response
The need for social distancing, due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has led to an increase in remote working, distance learning, and telemedicine—activities that depend on connect...
Future Force Structure Requirements for the United States Navy
Navy, force structure, requirements, shipbuilding, shipyard, procurement, industrial base, China.
Testing, Testing, (Phase) 1-2-3: Legal Considerations for Clinical Trials of Potential COVID-19 Vaccines
In the race to develop a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, several pharmaceutical companies, governments, and educational institutions around the world have begun testing their potential CO...
Spectrum Interference Issues: Ligado, the L-Band, and GPS
On April 20, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously approved a controversial application by Ligado Networks, a U.S. satellite communications company, to deploy a terrestrial nat...
Summary and Analysis of S. 2657, the American Energy Innovation Act
Issues in the 116th Congress reflect the ongoing debate over the federal role in energy policy, particularly related to research and development (R&D), development of fossil and renewable energy on fe...
Congress, the Judiciary, and Civil and Criminal Procedure
Two sets of authorities govern proceedings in federal court: substantive laws create certain legal rights or impose duties, while procedural laws control the way courts enforce those substantive right...
Bribery, Kickbacks, and Self-Dealing: An Overview of Honest Services Fraud and Issues for Congress
As the trials of state legislators Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos illustrate, corruption among high-profile public officials continues to be a concern in the United States. Likewise, recent examples a...
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations for FY2020: In Brief
The respective House and Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations subcommittees are charged with providing annual appropriations for the Departm...
Copyright and State Sovereign Immunity: The Allen v. Cooper Decision
On March 23, 2020, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Allen v. Cooper, concluding that Congress lacked the authority to enact the Copyright Remedy Clarification Act of 1990 (CRCA), which purporte...
COVID-19 and China: A Chronology of Events (December 2019-January 2020)
In Congress, multiple bills and resolutions have been introduced related to China’s handling of a novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, that expanded to become the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVI...