Policy Library

7,020 documents

The International Joint Commission (IJC)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-30 · Resources · 1,395 words · PDF available
The International Joint Commission (IJC) was established under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty between the United States and Canada. The treaty directs the IJC to aid in the resolution and prevention ...
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Funding: A Primer
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-29 · Reports · 14,172 words · PDF available
Since the enactment of P.L. 94-142, the predecessor legislation to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), in 1975, the federal government has played a prominent role in encouraging th...
Wild and Scenic Rivers: Designation, Management, and Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-28 · Reports · 8,212 words · PDF available
Congress established the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS) in 1968 through the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA; P.L. 90-542) to preserve free-flowing rivers for the benefit and enjoyment...
Domestic Food Assistance: Summary of Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-27 · Reports · 8,134 words · PDF available
Over the years, Congress has authorized and the federal government has administered programs to provide food to the hungry and to other vulnerable populations in this country. This report offers a bri...
State and Local Financing of Public Schools
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-26 · Reports · 11,960 words · PDF available
The funding of public elementary and secondary schools in the United States involves a combination of local, state, and federal government revenues, in proportions that vary substantially both across ...
Supreme Court October Term 2018: A Review of Selected Major Rulings
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-23 · Reports · 29,156 words · PDF available
The Supreme Court term that began on October 1, 2018, was a term of transition, with the Court issuing a number of rulings that, at times, suggested but did not fully adopt broader transformations in ...
A Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment: Background and Congressional Options
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-22 · Reports · 20,234 words · PDF available
One of the most persistent political issues facing Congress in recent decades is whether to require that the budget of the United States be in balance. Although a balanced federal budget has long been...
U.S. Dollar Intervention: Options and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-21 · Resources · 1,810 words · PDF available
After falling to its lowest value since the introduction of floating currencies in 1973, the U.S. dollar has appreciated by 25% between July 2011 and July 2019—its highest value since the early 2000s....
Harris Funeral Homes: Implications for Gender Identity and Athletics under Title IX
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-19 · Posts · 2,806 words
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the Department of Education (ED) has opened an investigation into a complaint recently filed by several female high school athletes, through their parents, challen...
Retroactive Legislation: A Primer for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-15 · Resources · 1,853 words · PDF available
Black’s Law Dictionary defines a retroactive law as a law “that looks backward or contemplates the past, affecting acts or facts that existed before the act came into effect.” While Congress often con...
Words Taken Down: Calling Members to Order for Disorderly Language in the House
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-13 · Reports · 11,894 words · PDF available
Rule XVII, clause 4, of the standing rules of the House of Representatives describes a parliamentary mechanism whereby a Member may call another Member to order for the use of disorderly language. Dis...
Convergence of Cyberspace Operations and Electronic Warfare
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-13 · Resources · 1,440 words · PDF available
Over the past two decades, cyberspace operations have become an important element in military operations. Electronic warfare (EW) has been a component of military operations since the advent of the ra...
Is the Indian Child Welfare Act Constitutional?
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-12 · Posts · 2,997 words
Update: After this Sidebar was originally published, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Fifth Circuit) reviewed a district court decision that held the Indian Chil...
Domestic Terrorism: Some Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-12 · Posts · 1,295 words
Introduction Mass shootings and other recent events have led to suggestions for (1) making domestic terrorism a separate federal crime; (2) affording law enforcement agencies authority comparable to t...
Federal Communications Commission: Progress Protecting Consumers from Illegal Robocalls
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-12 · Resources · 1,547 words · PDF available
Robocalls are the top complaint received by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a consistent congressional concern. In 2016, the FCC received 150,000 robocall-related complaints; in 2018, ...
2018 Farm Bill Primer: Support for Indian Tribes
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-12 · Resources · 1,723 words · PDF available
The 2018 farm bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334) expanded existing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support production, economic and communit...
Bitcoin, Blockchain, and the Energy Sector
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-09 · Reports · 14,529 words · PDF available
The popularity of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and the underlying blockchain technology presents both challenges and opportunities to the energy sector. As interest in Bitcoin and other cryptocurr...
Facebook’s $5 Billion Privacy Settlement with the Federal Trade Commission
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-08 · Posts · 2,721 words
On July 24, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a “record-breaking” settlement with the social media company Facebook. The settlement order (2019 Order) is still subject to court approv...
Human Fetal Tissue Research: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-08 · Reports · 8,874 words · PDF available
This report provides answers to frequently asked questions concerning the regulation and use of fetal tissue in research, including a description of what constitutes fetal tissue research, uses of fet...
Election Security: Voter Registration System Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-07 · Resources · 1,793 words · PDF available
Discussions about federal election security often focus on protecting voting machines and ensuring the integrity of election results, but voter registration processes may also be vulnerable to interfe...
Minimum Wages and the Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-05 · Resources · 1,678 words · PDF available
Federal Minimum Wage Law Since 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, 29 U.S.C. §206) has required that certain workers be paid a minimum wage. Since then, Congress has raised the minimum wage rate...
3D Printing: Overview, Impacts, and the Federal Role
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-02 · Reports · 7,357 words · PDF available
Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a highly flexible manufacturing process that has been used in product development and production for the past 30 years. Greate...
Nonprofit Donor Information Disclosure
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-01 · Posts · 1,591 words · PDF available
UPDATE: On July 30, 2019, the United States District Court for the District of Montana set-aside as unlawful IRS Revenue Procedure 2018-38, which is the subject of this post. The Revenue Procedure wou...
Illicit Drug Flows and Seizures in the United States: In Focus
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-01 · Resources · 1,416 words · PDF available
Policy discussions around issues such as border security, drug trafficking, and the opioid epidemic include questions about illicit drug flows into the United States. While there are numerous data poi...
Trends in the U.S. Poverty Rate after Recessions
Congressional Research Service · 2019-08-01 · Reports · 1,645 words · PDF available
poverty, poverty rate, recession, expansion, recovery, business cycle
The Clery Act: Requirements and Legal Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-31 · Resources · 1,708 words · PDF available
Colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education (IHEs) face several federal legal requirements that pertain to the safety and security of students. One statute that addresses such i...
Examining Regulatory Frameworks for Digital Currencies and Blockchain
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-30 · Testimony · 7,795 words · PDF available
Cryptocurrency, cryptocurrencies, digital currency, digital currencies, virtual currency, virtual currencies, currency, exchange rates, Financial Stability Board, central banks, Bitcoin, libra, fiat c...
Supreme Court Stays Injunction That Had Blocked a Portion of the Administration’s Border Wall Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-29 · Posts · 2,762 words · PDF available
UPDATE: On July 26, 2019, the Supreme Court in a divided decision stayed a June 28 injunction issued by a federal district court in California that had permanently prohibited the Trump Administration ...
The Front End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Current Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-29 · Reports · 12,866 words · PDF available
Nuclear power contributes roughly 20% of the electrical generation in the United States. Uranium is the fundamental element in fuel used for nuclear power production. The nuclear fuel cycle is the cra...
Federal Indian Law: Judicial Developments in the October 2018 Supreme Court Term
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-29 · Reports · 13,323 words · PDF available
Each term, the Supreme Court typically hears arguments in one or more cases concerning the rights and status of Indian tribes and their members. Prominent issues addressed by the Supreme Court in rece...
Congressional Commissions: Funding and Expenditures
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-24 · Reports · 8,851 words · PDF available
Congressional commissions have been established for a variety of purposes, and can help serve a critical role by informing Congress, providing expert advice on complex or controversial issues, and gen...
Is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act a Help or Hindrance to Main Street?
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-24 · Testimony · 4,816 words · PDF available
Tax, small business
Robocall Regulation and Judicial Review
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-22 · Posts · 1,520 words · PDF available
Robocalls—calls placed using an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice—continue to be one of the most common consumer complaints received by the Federal Communication...
The Legislative Process on the Senate Floor: An Introduction
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-22 · Reports · 8,798 words · PDF available
The standing rules of the Senate promote deliberation by permitting Senators to debate at length and by precluding a simple majority from ending debate when they are prepared to vote to approve a bill...
H.R. 397 (116th Congress), the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-19 · Resources · 1,581 words · PDF available
In the 116th Congress, H.R. 397, the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act, would provide financial assistance to financially troubled multiemployer defined benefit (DB) pension plans that mee...
Proposed Rule on Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-19 · Reports · 2,935 words · PDF available
Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-18 · Reports · 3,414 words · PDF available
The veto power vested in the President by Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution has proven to be an effective tool in the executive branch’s dealings with Congress. In order for a bill to become la...
Bankruptcy and Student Loans
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-18 · Reports · 35,132 words · PDF available
As overall student loan indebtedness in the United States has increased over the years, many borrowers have found themselves unable to repay their student loans. Ordinarily, declaring bankruptcy is a ...
High Court Strikes Down Provision of Crime of Violence Definition as Unconstitutionally Vague
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-17 · Posts · 2,805 words
UPDATE: In June 2019, following the publication of this Sidebar, the Supreme Court in United States v. Davis held that the residual clause of the “crime of violence” definition found in 18 U.S.C. § 92...
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: Background, Impacts, and Selected Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-16 · Reports · 9,712 words · PDF available
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) was the nation’s first mandatory cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. RGGI currently involves nine states—Connecticut, Delaware, Main...
An Economic Perspective of Income Share Agreements
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-15 · Resources · 1,873 words · PDF available
Income Share Agreements (ISAs) have received attention as an alternative to student loans for financing higher education expenses. Purdue University’s “Back a Boiler” program has perhaps received the ...
Federal Highway Traffic Safety Policies: Impacts and Opportunities
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-12 · Reports · 16,031 words · PDF available
In 2017, 37,133 Americans were killed in crashes involving motor vehicles. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for Americans overall, and the number one cause of death for teenagers. Mi...
Spending and Tax Expenditures: Distinctions and Major Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-09 · Reports · 6,413 words · PDF available
Spending programs and tax expenditures are the two primary ways that the federal government provides benefits to the public. Each type of intervention represents a transfer from the government to indi...
Drug Price Disclosure to Consumers: Current Legal Authority and Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-09 · Posts · 3,243 words · PDF available
Update: On July 8, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) exceeded its statutory authority in promulgating its new rule ...
UPDATE: Sidewalks, Streets, and Tweets: Is Twitter a Public Forum?
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-09 · Posts · 2,180 words · PDF available
Update: On July 9, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a decision affirming the trial court’s ruling described below. In its opinion, the appellate court concluded that the P...
Immigration: Alternatives to Detention (ATD) Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-08 · Reports · 9,220 words · PDF available
Since FY2004, Congress has appropriated funding to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for an Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program to provide sup...
Critical Infrastructure: Emerging Trends and Policy Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-08 · Reports · 15,146 words · PDF available
Protection of the nation’s critical infrastructure (CI) against asymmetric physical or cyber threats emerged in the late 1990s as a policy concern, which was then further amplified by the 9/11 terrori...
Partisan Gerrymandering Claims Not Subject to Federal Court Review: Considerations Going Forward
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-05 · Posts · 2,635 words · PDF available
Partisan gerrymandering, “the drawing of legislative district lines to subordinate adherents of one political party and entrench a rival party in power,” is an issue that has vexed the federal courts ...
Courts Split on Whether Private Individuals Can Sue to Challenge States’ Medicaid Defunding Decisions: Considerations for Congress (Part I of II)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-03 · Posts · 2,922 words · PDF available
Last December, the Supreme Court declined to review two cases, Andersen v. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Gee v. Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast Inc., in which private litigants challenged their re...
Courts Split on Whether Private Individuals Can Sue to Challenge States’ Medicaid Defunding Decisions: Considerations for Congress (Part II of II)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-07-03 · Posts · 2,745 words · PDF available
As discussed in Part I of this two-part Legal Sidebar, the Supreme Court recently declined to hear two cases, Anderson v. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Gee v. Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast Inc.,...