Policy Library

6,587 documents

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and Single-Employer Plan Terminations
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-31 · Reports · 3,249 words · PDF available
Questions may arise regarding the pensions of private-sector workers and how pension plans may be terminated, particularly in instances where a company experiences financial difficulties. The Employee...
Department of Homeland Security Preparedness Grants: A Summary and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-28 · Reports · 5,732 words
Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress increased focus on state and local homeland security assistance by, among other things, establishing the Department of Homeland Security (...
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation System: Options for Growth
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-26 · Reports · 13,130 words · PDF available
Congress faces infrastructure funding decisions that would support shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway (GLSLS). In the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (H.R. 5303, S. 2848), Con...
The Federal Minimum Wage: Indexation
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-26 · Reports · 9,539 words · PDF available
In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) established a federal minimum wage of $0.25 per hour. The minimum wage provisions of the FLSA have been amended numerous times since then, typically for th...
Unemployment Compensation: The Fundamentals of the Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-25 · Reports · 6,023 words
The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) of 1939 specifies the financing arrangement for the Unemployment Compensation (UC) program. Revenue for the program is provided through payroll taxes levied by ...
Procedures for Contested Election Cases in the House of Representatives
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-18 · Reports · 11,052 words
Under the U.S. Constitution, each House of Congress has the express authority to be the judge of the “elections and returns” of its own Members (Article I, Section 5, clause 1). Although initial chall...
The High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Grant Program: Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-18 · Reports · 8,209 words
Since 1964, when Japan opened the first rail line allowing trains to travel safely at speeds greater than 150 miles per hour, several European and Asian countries have built high-speed rail lines. The...
Irrigation in U.S. Agriculture: On-Farm Technologies and Best Management Practices
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-17 · Reports · 11,038 words
Recent threats to water availability as a result of moderate to exceptional drought in several states have raised questions about agricultural water use and efficiencies across the United States. An u...
Congress and the Budget: 2016 Actions and Events
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-17 · Reports · 7,170 words
The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, but does not dictate how Congress must fulfill this constitutional duty. Congress has, therefore, developed certain types of budgetary legislat...
Community Service Requirement for Residents of Public Housing
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-17 · Reports · 3,310 words
The Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-276) included provisions designed to promote employment and self-sufficiency among residents of assisted housing, including a mandator...
Receipt of Unemployment Insurance by Higher-Income Unemployed Workers (“Millionaires”)
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-12 · Reports · 6,555 words
Under the federal-state Unemployment Insurance (UI) system, there is currently no prohibition on the receipt of UI benefits by high-income unemployed workers. States, which determine many of the eligi...
Social Media in the House of Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-07 · Reports · 1,457 words
Recently, the number of Member offices adopting social media as an official communications tool has increased. With the increased use of social media accounts for official representational duties, the...
Conservation Compliance and U.S. Farm Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-06 · Reports · 8,916 words
The Food Security Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-198, 1985 farm bill) included a number of significant agricultural conservation provisions designed to reduce farm production and conserve soil and water resourc...
Midnight Rulemaking: Background and Options for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-04 · Reports · 9,691 words
During the final months of recent presidential administrations, federal agencies have typically issued a larger number of rules relative to comparable time periods earlier in the administration. This ...
An Abridged Sketch of Extradition To and From the United States
Congressional Research Service · 2016-10-04 · Reports · 4,502 words
“Extradition” is the formal surrender of a person by a State to another State for prosecution or punishment. Extradition to or from the United States is a creature of treaty. The United States has ext...
Energy Policy: 114th Congress Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-30 · Reports · 4,691 words
Energy policy in the United States has focused on three major goals: assuring a secure supply of energy, keeping energy costs low, and protecting the environment. In pursuit of those goals, government...
Human-Induced Earthquakes from Deep-Well Injection: A Brief Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-30 · Reports · 14,616 words
The development of unconventional oil and natural gas resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has created new demand for disposal wells that inject waste fluids into deep geologic...
Encryption: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-28 · Reports · 8,918 words
Encryption is a process to secure information from unwanted access or use. Encryption uses the art of cryptography to change information which can be read (plaintext) and make it so that it cannot be ...
Housing for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-27 · Reports · 11,495 words
Since the beginning of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in the early 1980s, many individuals living with the disease have had difficulty finding affordable, stable housing. In th...
EPA’s Clean Power Plan: Highlights of the Final Rule
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-27 · Reports · 7,025 words
On August 3, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized regulations that address carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the electric power sector. The Clean Power Plan (CPP) final rule requi...
United States Supreme Court: Criminal Law Cases in the October 2015 Term
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-27 · Reports · 32,403 words · PDF available
The white collar crimes on the Supreme Court’s 2015 docket consist of three Hobbs Act cases and one on computer fraud (Musacchio v. United States). The Hobbs Act outlaws robbery and extortion when com...
Child Support Enforcement and the Hague Convention on Recovery of International Child Support
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-22 · Reports · 8,472 words · PDF available
The Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (the Convention) was adopted at the Hague Conference on Private International Law on November ...
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-21 · Reports · 7,050 words
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has been ratified by 183 nations, including the United States. It regulates the international trade in anima...
Behavioral Health Among American Indian and Alaska Natives: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-16 · Reports · 9,761 words
Behavioral health problems (e.g., mental disorders, substance use disorders, and suicide) among the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population have been the subject of multiple congressional...
Nanotechnology: A Policy Primer
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-15 · Reports · 12,215 words
Nanoscale science, engineering, and technology—commonly referred to collectively as “nanotechnology”—is believed by many to offer extraordinary economic and societal benefits. Congress has demonstrate...
The Dodd-Frank Act: An Overview of the 2016 Incentive-Based Compensation Proposal
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-14 · Reports · 8,843 words · PDF available
Incentive compensation or incentive-based compensation refers to the portion of an employee’s pay that is not fixed in contrast to an annual or monthly salary. Incentive compensation takes the form of...
Sea-Level Rise and U.S. Coasts
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-12 · Resources · 1,448 words
Policymakers are interested in sea-level rise because of the risk to U.S. coastal populations and infrastructure and changes to coastal ecosystems. Some coastal states and U.S. territories have a cons...
Sea-Level Rise and U.S. Coasts: Science and Policy Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-12 · Reports · 19,296 words
Policymakers are interested in sea-level rise because of the risk to coastal populations and infrastructure and the consequences for coastal species and ecosystems. From 1901 to 2010, global sea level...
China’s Efforts to Address Ongoing Food Safety Concerns
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-09 · Resources · 1,615 words
China’s role in global agricultural trade has grown significantly, with China now a major supplier of fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables, juices, and processed foods. Agricultural trade between C...
U.S. Withdrawal from Free Trade Agreements: Frequently Asked Legal Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-07 · Reports · 12,586 words
The United States is party to 14 international free trade agreements (FTAs) with 20 countries. These agreements impose a wide variety of international obligations on the United States and its trading ...
Space Exploration
Congressional Research Service · 2016-09-02 · Resources · 1,702 words · PDF available
Overview The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the primary federal agency for civil space programs. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. ...
Protecting Classified Information and the Rights of Criminal Defendants: The Classified Information Procedures Act
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-31 · Reports · 7,743 words
A criminal prosecution involving classified information may cause tension between the government’s interest in protecting classified information and the criminal defendant’s right to a constitutionall...
Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (H.R. 3700)
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-30 · Reports · 7,508 words
The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA; H.R. 3700), signed into law on July 29, 2016 (P.L. 114-201), makes amendments to various Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) pro...
EPA’s Clean Energy Incentive Program: Background and Legal Developments
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-29 · Reports · 6,069 words
In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) as a voluntary complement to its regulatory program known as the Clean Power Plan (CPP). T...
Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) and the Federal Budget
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-29 · Resources · 1,727 words
Background What is Ex-Im Bank, and what is the congressional interest? As the official U.S. export credit agency, Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank finances and insures U.S. exports of goods and services on ...
Airline Passenger Rights: The Federal Role in Aviation Consumer Protection
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-17 · Reports · 6,730 words
The 1978 deregulation of the airline industry in the United States eliminated federal control over many airline business practices, including pricing and domestic route selection. However, the federal...
The Federal Budget: Understanding Fiscal Outcomes
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-17 · Resources · 1,389 words
The budgetary power of Congress is a core responsibility that affects national economic conditions and future policy choices. This In Focus summarizes the role of Congress in the federal budget proce...
Natural Gas Discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-15 · Reports · 6,157 words
Since 2009, a series of large natural gas discoveries in the Levant Basin have altered the dynamics of the Eastern Mediterranean region. Israel’s discovery of the Tamar Field and subsequent discovery ...
Sage-Grouse Conservation: Background and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-15 · Reports · 7,691 words
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a squat, feathered, chicken-like bird that is currently found in 11 western states. For more than 25 years, there has been considerable controver...
Discount Rates in the Economic Evaluation of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Projects
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-15 · Reports · 16,670 words
Since 1936, Congress has relied on benefit and cost information to justify investments of federal involvement in water resource projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). Today, Congress fa...
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB): Background and Possible Issues for Reauthorization and Oversight
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-10 · Reports · 5,432 words
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is a small, independent federal agency with responsibility for investigating transportation accidents; conducting transportation safety studies; issuing...
Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Proposed Reauthorization in the 114th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-03 · Reports · 12,820 words
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), created in 1974, regulates futures, most options, and swaps markets. The CFTC administers the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA; P.L. 74-765, 7 U.S.C. §1 et ...
Federal Assistance for Victims of Terrorism or Mass Violence: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2016-08-03 · Reports · 4,687 words
Following incidents of terrorism or mass violence in the United States, jurisdictions and individuals may be eligible to receive various types of victim assistance both directly from the Department of...
Natural Gas: A Key Part of the Global Energy Mix
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-26 · Reports · 8,420 words
The role of natural gas in the U.S. economy has been a major part of the energy policy debate in the 114th Congress. This report briefly explains key aspects of global natural gas markets, including s...
Energy Legislation: Comparison of Selected Provisions in S. 2012 as Passed by the House and Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-26 · Reports · 14,884 words
Congress most recently enacted major energy legislation in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140). The 114th Congress is currently considering new legislation to address broad...
The U.S. Wine Industry and Selected Trade Issues with the European Union
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-25 · Reports · 9,278 words
Global wine production totaled roughly 28 billion liters in 2014. The European Union (EU) dominates world production, accounting for nearly 60% of all wine produced each year. France, Italy, and Spain...
Energy Legislation: Comparable Provisions in S. 2012 as Passed by the House and Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-22 · Reports · 11,740 words
Congress most recently enacted major energy legislation in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140). The 114th Congress is currently considering new legislation to address broad...
Health Care Fraud and Abuse Laws Affecting Medicare and Medicaid: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-22 · Reports · 3,770 words
A number of federal statutes aim to combat fraud and abuse in federally funded health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Using these statutes, the federal government has been able to recover...
Agriculture Issues in U.S.-EU Trade Negotiations
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-21 · Resources · 1,718 words
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) is a proposed free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union (EU). Both sides seek to liberalize transatlantic trade a...
Geographical Indications (GIs) in U.S. Agricultural Trade
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-21 · Resources · 1,619 words
Geographical indications (GIs) are place names used to identify products that come from these places and to protect the quality and reputation of a distinctive product originating in a certain region....