Policy Library

7,020 documents

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 ...
Making it a Priority: What Happens to Employee Claims When a Business Declares Bankruptcy?
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-16 · Posts · 1,926 words · PDF available
Workers are not immune from their employer’s financial difficulties. Troubled companies commonly downsize their workforce, cut wages, and curtail employee benefits. Businesses on the brink of collapse...
Drilling Under New Wyoming Leases on Hold as Judge Requires BLM to Reconsider Impacts on Climate Change
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-16 · Posts · 1,220 words · PDF available
A recent decision in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Circuit has paused oil and gas exploration and production activity in certain leased areas of Wyoming and hinted at ...
Nielsen v. Preap: High Court Clarifies Application of Immigration Detention Statute to Criminal Aliens
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-12 · Posts · 2,190 words · PDF available
Recently, the Supreme Court in Nielsen v. Preap interpreted provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as mandating the detention pending removal proceedings of non-U.S. nationals (aliens...
Title IX and Sexual Harassment: Private Rights of Action, Administrative Enforcement, and Proposed Regulations
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-12 · Reports · 33,245 words · PDF available
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) provides an avenue of legal relief for victims of sexual abuse and harassment at educational institutions. It bars discrimination “on the basis ...
Access to Broadband Networks: Net Neutrality
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-10 · Resources · 1,792 words · PDF available
The move to place restrictions on the owners of the networks that comprise and provide access to the internet, to ensure equal access and nondiscriminatory treatment, is referred to as “net neutrality...
IRS Reform and the Taxpayer First Act of 2019
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-10 · Resources · 1,214 words · PDF available
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has two main statutory responsibilities: to collect most of the revenue needed to fund the federal government and to enforce federal tax laws and regulations. In FY2...
Water Infrastructure Financing: History of EPA Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-10 · Reports · 20,759 words · PDF available
The principal federal program to aid municipal wastewater treatment plant construction is authorized in the Clean Water Act (CWA). Established as a grant program in 1972, it now capitalizes state loan...
Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act: Understanding Apportionments for States and Territories
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-05 · Reports · 11,878 words · PDF available
The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. §§669 et seq.), enacted in 1937 and now known as the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, provides funding for states and territories to ...
Multinational Species Conservation Fund: FY2020 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-05 · Reports · 1,445 words · PDF available
International species conservation is addressed by several funds, including those under the Multinational Species Conservation Fund (MSCF) and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (NMBCF)....
Civil Rights at School: Agency Enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-04 · Reports · 16,375 words · PDF available
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits federally funded programs, activities, and institutions from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin. In its current form, largely un...
Virtual Currencies and Money Laundering: Legal Background, Enforcement Actions, and Legislative Proposals
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-03 · Reports · 7,558 words · PDF available
Law enforcement officials have described money laundering—the process of making illegally obtained proceeds appear legitimate—as the “lifeblood” of organized crime. Recently, money launderers have inc...
2018 Farm Bill Primer: Program Eligibility and Payment Limits
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-03 · Resources · 1,206 words · PDF available
Since 1970, Congress has used various policies to address the issue of who should be eligible for farm program payments and how much an individual recipient should be permitted to receive in a single ...
Judiciary Budget Request, FY2020
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-03 · Resources · 1,188 words · PDF available
Overview The FY2020 judiciary budget request totals $8.29 billion. This total includes $7.62 billion in discretionary funds (an increase of 4.9% over FY2019), and $669.8 million in mandatory funding, ...
HUD FY2019 Appropriations: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-02 · Reports · 5,912 words · PDF available
The programs and activities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are designed primarily to address housing problems faced by households with very low incomes or other special housi...
FY2018 State Grants Under Title I-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Congressional Research Service · 2019-04-01 · Reports · 2,151 words · PDF available
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), most recently comprehensively amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; P.L. 114-95), is the primary source of federal aid to K-12 education. ...
America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-270): Drinking Water Provisions
Congressional Research Service · 2019-03-28 · Reports · 16,034 words · PDF available
Congress has long deliberated on the condition of drinking water infrastructure and drinking water quality as well as the financial and technical challenges some public water systems face in ensuring ...
High Court to Determine Proper Method to Serve Process on a Foreign Government
Congressional Research Service · 2019-03-27 · Posts · 1,383 words · PDF available
Update: On March 26, the Supreme Court held 8-1 in favor of Sudan, finding that the most natural reading of the statute requires the mailing of service of process directly and expeditiously to the Min...
Congressional Subpoenas: Enforcing Executive Branch Compliance
Congressional Research Service · 2019-03-27 · Reports · 29,958 words · PDF available
Congress gathers much of the information necessary to oversee the implementation of existing laws or to evaluate whether new laws are necessary from the executive branch. While executive branch offici...