Policy Library

6,587 documents

Corporate Drug Trafficking Liability—a New Legal Front in the Opioid Crisis
Congressional Research Service · 2019-06-06 · Posts · 2,711 words · PDF available
The opioid epidemic represents a public health crisis in the United States, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that overdoses on prescription and non-prescription opioids cl...
The Legal Framework of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-06-05 · Resources · 1,828 words · PDF available
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or the Act) (16 U.S.C. §§ 1531 et seq.) aims to protect threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plants from extinction. In its findings, Congress recogniz...
Vehicle Electrification: Federal and State Issues Affecting Deployment
Congressional Research Service · 2019-06-03 · Reports · 10,821 words · PDF available
Most of the 270 million cars, trucks, and buses on U.S. highways are powered by internal combustion engines using gasoline or diesel fuel. However, improvements in technology have led to the emergence...
Enforcing Federal Privacy Law—Constitutional Limitations on Private Rights of Action
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-31 · Posts · 2,955 words · PDF available
Over the last two years, the prospect of a comprehensive federal data privacy law has been the subject of considerable attention in the press and in Congress. Some Members of Congress and outside grou...
Programs Available to Unemployed Workers Through the American Job Center Network
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-31 · Reports · 6,073 words · PDF available
Many federally funded programs that assist unemployed workers are co-located and coordinated through state and locally run American Job Centers (AJCs; also known as One-Stop Career Centers). The speci...
Youth Transitioning from Foster Care: Background and Federal Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-29 · Reports · 16,646 words · PDF available
While many young people have access to emotional and financial support systems throughout their early adult years, older youth in foster care and those who are emancipated from care often lack such se...
The Pharmaceutical Drug Development Process
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-29 · Infographics · 1,023 words
/ THE PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT PROCESS The pharmaceutical drug development process includes three stages: research and development (R&D), approval, and postmarketing. On average, drugs take 10-...
Waiver of Congressional Notification Period in the Arms Export Control Act
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-29 · Posts · 1,967 words · PDF available
The Trump Administration’s notification to Congress on May 24, 2019 regarding the sales of arms to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan as an emergency measure, avoiding the statutorily ...
2018 Farm Bill Primer: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-28 · Resources · 1,601 words · PDF available
Food and agriculture policy in the United States provides support and resources for farms operated by new and beginning farmers and ranchers (BFRs). Although BFRs are eligible for all programs adminis...
USDA Domestic Food Assistance Programs: FY2019 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-24 · Reports · 6,652 words · PDF available
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6) was enacted on February 15, 2019. This omnibus bill included appropriations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), of which USDA’s domest...
China’s Currency Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-24 · Resources · 1,764 words · PDF available
China’s policy of intervening in currency markets to control the value of its currency, the renminbi (RMB), against the U.S. dollar and other currencies has been of concern for many in Congress over t...
Legislative Purpose and Adviser Immunity in Congressional Investigations
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-24 · Posts · 3,913 words · PDF available
The Trump Administration has recently questioned the legal validity of numerous investigative demands made by House committees. These objections have been based on various grounds, but two specific ar...
Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Southern Border Barriers
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-22 · Resources · 1,430 words · PDF available
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is performing work on border barriers, roads, and lighting along the U.S. southern border on behalf of the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Defense (...
Resolving Legislative Differences in Congress: Conference Committees and Amendments Between the Houses
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-22 · Reports · 20,245 words · PDF available
The Constitution requires that the House and Senate approve the same bill or joint resolution in precisely the same form before it is presented to the President for his signature or veto. To this end,...
Farm Commodity Provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-21 · Reports · 26,196 words · PDF available
The farm commodity program provisions in Title I of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-334; the 2018 farm bill) include revenue support programs for major program crops and permanent a...
The Reclamation Fund
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-21 · Resources · 1,450 words · PDF available
The Reclamation Act of 1902 authorized the Secretary of the Interior to construct irrigation works in western states through the Reclamation Service (later renamed the Bureau of Reclamation [BOR or Re...
Electronic Messaging Recordkeeping Requirements
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-21 · Resources · 1,461 words · PDF available
The emergence and widespread governmental adoption of digital technologies that create information subject to the retention and preservation requirements of the Federal Records Act (FRA; 44 U.S.C. Cha...
House Rules Changes Affecting Committee Procedure in the 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-21 · Reports · 6,429 words · PDF available
As agreed to in the House, H.Res. 6, a resolution adopting the rules of the House of Representatives, provided amendments to the rules, as well as separate orders, that affect committee procedure in t...
Major Agricultural Trade Issues in the 116th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-20 · Reports · 27,326 words · PDF available
Sales of U.S. agricultural products to foreign markets absorb about one-fifth of U.S. agricultural production, thus contributing significantly to the health of the farm economy. Farm product exports, ...
The Highway Funding Formula: History and Current Status
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-20 · Reports · 6,252 words · PDF available
More than 90% of federal highway assistance is distributed to the states by formula. Between 1916, when Congress created the first ongoing program to fund road construction, and 2012, various formula ...
Drug Pricing and the Law: Pharmaceutical Patent Disputes
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-17 · Resources · 1,526 words · PDF available
Patent rights play an important role in the development and pricing of pharmaceutical products. Patent law seeks to encourage innovation by granting the holder of a valid patent a temporary monopoly o...
African Swine Fever (ASF)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-17 · Resources · 1,497 words
Between September 2018 and May 2019, the number of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks has rapidly increased, most notably in China, triggering economic losses in affected pork-producing countries (Fi...
Drug Pricing and the Law: Regulatory Exclusivities
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-17 · Resources · 1,076 words · PDF available
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) generally must approve pharmaceutical products, such as drugs and biologics, before they can be marketed in the United States. To obtain approval of a new drug o...
2018 Farm Bill Primer: Support for Urban Agriculture
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-16 · Resources · 1,608 words · PDF available
Over the past decade, food policy in the United States has responded to ongoing shifts in consumer preferences and producer trends that favor local and regional food systems while also supporting trad...
Military Sexual Assault: Chronology of Activity in the 113th-114th Congresses and Related Resources
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-16 · Reports · 15,941 words · PDF available
This report focuses on previous activity in Congress regarding high profile incidents of sexual assault in the military during the summer 2013 through 2016. Included are separate sections on the offic...
The Antiquities Act: History, Current Litigation, and Considerations for the 116th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-15 · Reports · 19,897 words · PDF available
The Antiquities Act authorizes the President to declare, by public proclamation, historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest situated ...
Calendars of the House of Representatives
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-15 · Reports · 1,265 words · PDF available
In the House of Representatives, the term calendar has two related meanings. This report, one of series of reports on legislative process, explains calendars and their use in the House of Representati...
Land and Water Conservation Fund: Appropriations for “Other Purposes”
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-14 · Reports · 4,966 words · PDF available
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965 (P.L. 88-578) created the LWCF in the Treasury as a funding source to implement the outdoor recreation goals set out by the act. The LWCF Act au...
Marijuana Use and Highway Safety
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-14 · Reports · 6,484 words · PDF available
A growing number of Americans report that they use marijuana. Most states now allow the use of marijuana for treatment of medical conditions. Ten states and the District of Columbia, representing a qu...
The Community Health Center Fund: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-13 · Reports · 2,583 words · PDF available
The Health Center Program, which is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services, awards grants to outpatient health care facilit...
FY2018 and FY2019 Appropriations for Agricultural Conservation
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-10 · Reports · 6,336 words · PDF available
The Agriculture appropriations bill funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) except for the Forest Service. The FY2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 115-141, Division A), and the FY2019...
Attorney General Rules that Unlawful Entrants Generally Must Remain Detained While Asylum Claims Are Considered
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-10 · Posts · 2,742 words · PDF available
Non-U.S. nationals (aliens) apprehended by immigration authorities when attempting to unlawfully enter the United States are generally subject to a streamlined, expedited removal process and must be d...
“Migrant Protection Protocols”: Legal Issues Related to DHS’s Plan to Require Arriving Asylum Seekers to Wait in Mexico
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-09 · Posts · 3,025 words · PDF available
Update: The Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) remain in effect after an initial round of litigation (which followed initial publication of this Sidebar). On May 7, 2019, a motions panel of the U.S. C...
2018 Farm Bill Primer: Title II Conservation Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-03 · Resources · 1,557 words · PDF available
Title II of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill, P.L. 115-334) authorizes programs and provisions that assist farmers and ranchers in addressing environmental resource concerns on ...
The LIHEAP Formula
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-02 · Reports · 15,139 words · PDF available
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides funds to states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and commonwealths, and Indian tribal organizations (collectively referred to...
Social Security: The Trust Funds and Alternative Investments
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-02 · Reports · 10,641 words · PDF available
The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program provides monthly benefits to retired or disabled workers and their family members and to the family members of deceased workers. These ...
Water Infrastructure Financing: The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program
Congressional Research Service · 2019-05-01 · Reports · 6,965 words · PDF available
The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program provides financial assistance for water infrastructure projects, including projects to build and upgrade wastewater and drinking wat...
United States Fire Administration: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-25 · Reports · 3,750 words · PDF available
The United States Fire Administration (USFA)—which includes the National Fire Academy (NFA)—is currently housed within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Secu...
Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-25 · Reports · 8,070 words · PDF available
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, also known as fire grants or the FIRE Act grant program, was established by Title XVII of the FY2001 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 106-39...
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-25 · Reports · 6,707 words · PDF available
In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act, known as the SAFER Act, was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 ...
The Automobile Lending Market and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-25 · Resources · 1,858 words · PDF available
An automobile (auto) loan allows a consumer to finance the purchase of a new or used car. In most parts of the United States, access to a car is critical for people to be able to get to work and other...
Lies and Schemes: Supreme Court Expands Securities Fraud Liability
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-24 · Posts · 1,726 words · PDF available
The Supreme Court recently held in Lorenzo v. Securities and Exchange Commission that persons who knowingly disseminate false statements to investors violate the “scheme liability” provisions of feder...
Child Nutrition Programs: Issues in the 115th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-24 · Reports · 10,573 words · PDF available
The term child nutrition programs refers to several U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) programs that provide food for children in institutional settings. These includ...
2018 Farm Bill Primer: Dairy Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-24 · Resources · 1,736 words · PDF available
The 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334) revised the dairy program from the 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79, as amended by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 [BBA], P.L. 115-123). The new program in the 2018 farm...
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA): Historical Overview, Funding, and Reauthorization
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-23 · Reports · 19,542 words · PDF available
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA; Title IV of P.L. 103-322) was originally enacted in 1994. It addressed congressional concerns about violent crime, and violence against women in particular, in se...
Assessing Commercial Disclosure Requirements under the First Amendment
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-23 · Reports · 22,940 words · PDF available
Federal law contains a wide variety of disclosure requirements, including food labels, securities registrations, and disclosures about prescription drugs in direct-to-consumer advertising. These discl...
Nuclear Cooperation: Part 810 Authorizations
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-18 · Resources · 1,533 words · PDF available
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry told Congress in late March that he had approved Part 810 authorizations for Saudi Arabia. Under U.S. law, nuclear-related exports require an export license or other aut...
Agricultural Conservation in the 2018 Farm Bill
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-18 · Reports · 21,231 words · PDF available
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill, P.L. 115-334, Title II) included a number of changes to agricultural conservation programs, including reauthorizing and amending existing progr...
Tax Equity Financing: An Introduction and Policy Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-17 · Reports · 9,296 words · PDF available
This report provides an introduction to the general tax equity financing mechanism. The term tax equity investment describes transactions that pair the tax credits or other tax benefits generated by a...
Forest Management Provisions Enacted in the 115th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-17 · Reports · 29,860 words · PDF available
The 115th Congress enacted several provisions affecting management of the National Forest System (NFS), administered by the Forest Service (in the Department of Agriculture), and the lands managed by ...