Policy Library

6,587 documents

Chronic Homelessness: Background, Research, and Outcomes
Congressional Research Service · 2015-12-08 · Reports · 27,631 words
Chronically homeless individuals are those who spend long periods of time living on the street or other places not meant for human habitation, and who have one or more disabilities, frequently includi...
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and ESEA Reauthorization: Summary of Selected Key Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2015-12-07 · Resources · 1,681 words
Congress has actively considered reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) during the 114th Congress, passing comprehensive ESEA reauthorization bills in both the House (Stu...
Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: Highlights of the Every Student Succeeds Act
Congressional Research Service · 2015-12-04 · Reports · 10,959 words
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was last comprehensively amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB; P.L. 107-110). Appropriations for most programs authorized by the ESEA...
Nuclear Waste Fund: Budgetary, Funding, and Scoring Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2015-12-03 · Testimony · 0 words
Nuclear Waste Fund, Nuclear Waste Policy Act, spent nuclear fuel, used nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste, high-level nuclear waste, Yucca Mountain
U.S. Tax Court: A Brief Introduction
Congressional Research Service · 2015-12-02 · Resources · 1,553 words · PDF available
The U.S. Tax Court is an Article I court created by Congress to hear tax disputes arising under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). This In Focus provides background information about the court. Creation...
The Lobbying Disclosure Act at 20: Analysis and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-12-01 · Reports · 20,474 words · PDF available
On December 19, 1995, President William Jefferson Clinton signed the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) into law (2 U.S.C. §1601, et seq.). In his comments when signing the law, President Clinton identifie...
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-30 · Resources · 1,591 words
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, as amended, (FMLA; P.L. 103-3) entitles eligible employees to unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical needs, with continuation of group hea...
Budget Reconciliation Legislation: Development and Consideration
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-30 · Reports · 983 words
Budget reconciliation is a two-phase process, provided by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Titles I-IX of P.L. 93-344, 2 U.S.C. 601-688), as amended, that Congress may use to assure compliance wi...
Federal Real Property Data: Limitations and Implications for Oversight
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-25 · Reports · 5,774 words
The federal executive branch owns and leases more than 275,000 buildings, with annual operating costs in excess of $21 billion. Oversight of this portfolio of buildings has been a priority for recent ...
Reauthorization of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) Act in the 114th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-20 · Reports · 6,185 words
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) collected livestock and meat price and related market information from meat packers on a voluntary basis under the au...
Taxation of Unemployment Benefits
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-16 · Reports · 2,306 words
Unemployment compensation (UC) benefits have been fully subject to the federal income tax since the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-514). Under tax law, unemployment compensation is a b...
Congressional Budget Resolutions: Historical Information
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-16 · Reports · 15,607 words
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Titles I-IX of P.L. 93-344, as amended; 2 U.S.C. 601-688) provides for the annual adoption of a concurrent resolution on the budget each year. The congressional b...
The Family and Medical Leave Act: An Overview of Title I
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-16 · Reports · 12,165 words
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA; P.L. 103-3, as amended) entitles eligible employees to unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons, with continued group health p...
U.S. Grain Standards Act: Reauthorization in the 114th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-12 · Reports · 11,666 words
Under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) of 1916, the federal government is authorized to establish official marketing standards (not health and safety standards) for grains and oilseeds, a...
The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases
Congressional Research Service · 2015-11-02 · Reports · 17,885 words
Congress has always restricted federal debt. The Second Liberty Bond Act of 1917 included an aggregate limit on federal debt as well as limits on specific debt issues. Through the 1920s and 1930s, Con...
Cargo Preferences for U.S.-Flag Shipping
Congressional Research Service · 2015-10-29 · Reports · 9,857 words
Long-standing U.S. policy has treated the U.S.-flag international fleet as a naval auxiliary to be available in times of war or national emergency. When the United States is involved in an extended mi...
State and Local Government Series (SLGS) Treasury Debt: A Description
Congressional Research Service · 2015-10-29 · Reports · 1,432 words · PDF available
On February 4, 2014, in anticipation of no increase in the statutory debt limit, the U.S. Treasury announced in a press release that it would suspend “sales of State and Local Government Series (SLGS)...
Points of Order in the Congressional Budget Process
Congressional Research Service · 2015-10-20 · Reports · 7,851 words
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Titles I-IX of P.L. 93-344, as amended) created a process that Congress uses each year to establish and enforce the parameters for budgetary legislation. Enforcem...
Alternative Inflation Measures for the Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
Congressional Research Service · 2015-10-15 · Reports · 7,050 words
Monthly Social Security payments for retired workers, disabled workers, and all other beneficiaries are generally increased annually by a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which is based on growth in ...
Sentence Reform Acts: S. 2123 and H.R. 3713
Congressional Research Service · 2015-10-14 · Reports · 6,828 words
As introduced, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015, S. 2123, and the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015, H.R. 3713, use virtually identical language to reduce the impact of the mandatory mini...
The Internet of Things: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2015-10-13 · Reports · 10,895 words
“Internet of Things” (IoT) refers to networks of objects that communicate with other objects and with computers through the Internet. “Things” may include virtually any object for which remote communi...
Meat Animal Research Center: The Animal Welfare Act and Farm Animal Research
Congressional Research Service · 2015-10-09 · Reports · 3,653 words
On January 19, 2015, the New York Times (NYT) published an exposé of research activities at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center located near Clay Center, Nebraska. The Center is a U.S...
Linking with Constituents: Presentation of Social Media on Member of Congress Websites
Congressional Research Service · 2015-10-08 · Resources · 1,329 words
Since Members of Congress first adopted social media, the number of services to choose from has increased. Early adoption was mostly on Twitter. Initial studies showed that as Members became more comf...
Accelerated Repayment of Bureau of Reclamation Construction Costs
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-30 · Resources · 1,455 words
Title IX of H.R. 2898, the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015, includes provisions that would potentially alter construction repayment for Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) project...
Zivotofsky v. Kerry: The Jerusalem Passport Case and Its Potential Implications for Congress’s Foreign Affairs Powers
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-28 · Reports · 14,399 words
The Supreme Court in its last term by a vote of 6-3 invalidated a statute passed by Congress touching on the status of Jerusalem, affirming the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision in Z...
Altering House Ethics Committee Sanction Recommendations on the Floor: Past Precedent and Options for Action
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-25 · Reports · 15,113 words
The Constitution provides Congress with the power to punish and discipline its Members. Since the House Committee on Ethics was created during the 90th Congress, it has been authorized to investigate ...
Queen-of-the-Hill Rules in the House of Representatives
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-24 · Reports · 1,005 words
Special Rules and the Amending Process
Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-24 · Reports · 1,582 words
When a conference committee approves its report, the next step in the legislative process is for the report, along with a joint explanatory statement of the managers, to be presented to the House and ...
Disparate Impact Claims Under the Fair Housing Act
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-24 · Reports · 7,943 words
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) was enacted “to provide, within constitutional limitations, for fair housing throughout the United States.” It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion...
Senate Conferees: Their Selection and Authority
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-23 · Reports · 1,192 words
Conference committees usually prepare the final versions of the most important bills that Congress approves. Who the conferees are and what decisions they can make, therefore, can have an important ef...
Federal Mandatory Minimum Sentencing: The 18 U.S.C. 924(c) Tack-On in Cases Involving Drugs or Violence
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-16 · Reports · 16,600 words
Section 924(c) requires the imposition of one of a series of mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment upon conviction for misconduct involving the firearm and the commission of a federal crime of viole...
Expedited Procedures in the House: Variations Enacted into Law
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-16 · Reports · 8,505 words
Congress enacts expedited, or fast-track, procedures into law when it wants to increase the likelihood that one or both houses of Congress will vote in a timely way on a certain measure or kind of mea...
Flow of Business: A Typical Day on the Senate Floor
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-16 · Reports · 1,247 words
Several authorities govern the daily work in the Senate chamber: its standing rules, standing orders, unanimous consent agreements, precedent, and tradition. Because these authorities have different i...
The President Pro Tempore of the Senate: History and Authority of the Office
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-16 · Reports · 12,808 words
The U.S. Constitution establishes the office of the President pro tempore of the Senate to preside over the Senate in the Vice President’s absence. Since 1947, the President pro tempore has stood thir...
The Amending Process in the House of Representatives
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-16 · Reports · 24,979 words
Most amendments that Representatives propose to legislation on the House floor are offered in the Committee of the Whole. Measures considered under suspension of the rules are not subject to floor ame...
The Amending Process in the Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-16 · Reports · 13,719 words
A bill is subject to amendment as soon as the Senate begins to consider it. Committee amendments are considered first; then Senators can offer amendments to any part of the bill, generally, in any ord...
The Administration’s National Pollinator Strategy
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-14 · Resources · 1,244 words
Pollinators––including bees, butterflies, bats, birds, and other animal species––are not only important ecologically but also play an important role in global food production. Pollination contributes ...
The FY2014 Government Shutdown: Economic Effects
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-11 · Reports · 5,351 words
The federal government experienced a funding gap beginning on October 1, 2013, which ended when the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-46) was signed into law on October 17, 2013. This fund...
Procedures for Congressional Action in Relation to a Nuclear Agreement with Iran: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-11 · Reports · 3,322 words · PDF available
An April 2015 framework for negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran suggests that a final agreement that would ease many existing sanctions on Iran might be reached. Amid concerns ...
Statutory Qualifications for Executive Branch Positions
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-09 · Reports · 16,403 words
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some Members of Congress and others questioned the competence of leadership at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). After investigating the federal re...
Veterans’ Benefits: Pension Benefit Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-09 · Reports · 3,481 words
This report discusses selected veteran pension programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): The Improved Disability Pension makes payments to certain low-income veterans. In FY20...
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): Commercial Outlook for a New Industry
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-09 · Reports · 7,084 words · PDF available
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)—commonly referred to as drones—have become a staple of U.S. military reconnaissance and weapons delivery in overseas war zones such as Afghanistan. Now some new technol...
An Analysis of Efforts to Double Federal Funding for Physical Sciences and Engineering Research
Congressional Research Service · 2015-09-08 · Reports · 12,146 words · PDF available
Federal funding of physical sciences and engineering (PS&E) research has played a substantial role in U.S. economic growth and job creation by creating the underlying knowledge that supports technolog...
Procedural Analysis of Private Laws Enacted: 1986-2015
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-31 · Reports · 2,199 words
Between 1986 and 2015 (99th-114th Congresses), 170 private laws were enacted. As of this writing, no private laws have been enacted in the 114th Congress (2015-2016). Most private laws during this per...
Expedited or “Fast-Track” Legislative Procedures
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-31 · Reports · 731 words
Expedited or “fast-track” legislative procedures are special procedures that Congress adopts to promote timely committee and floor action on a specifically defined type of bill or resolution. For exam...
Seafood Fraud
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-31 · Reports · 10,050 words · PDF available
Fraudulent seafood sales and marketing—the act of defrauding buyers of seafood for economic gain—has been widely reported and has gained greater public attention in recent years. The extent of seafood...
Senate Committee Hearings: The “Minority Witness Rule”
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-31 · Reports · 763 words
When a Senate committee other than the Appropriations Committee holds a hearing, the minority party members of the panel have the right to call witnesses of their choosing to testify during at least o...
Proxy Voting and Polling in Senate Committee
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-31 · Reports · 1,895 words
In an effort to operate efficiently despite the competing scheduling demands placed on its members, all Senate standing committees permit “proxy voting” in some instances, and many of them permit cert...
House Rules and Precedents Affecting Committee Markup Procedures
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-26 · Reports · 2,380 words
Markup procedures in standing committees of the House of Representatives generally conform to guidelines the House follows when it conducts business on the floor under a set of procedures known as con...
Quorum Requirements in the House: Committee and Chamber
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-25 · Reports · 798 words
House Rule XI, clause 2 establishes minimum quorum requirements for eight areas of committee activity. Table 1 summarizes these requirements as found in Wm. Holmes Brown, Charles W. Johnson, and John ...