Policy Library

7,020 documents

Financial Reform: Custody Banks and the Supplementary Leverage Ratio
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-18 · Resources · 1,730 words
What Do Custody Banks Do? Custody banks engage in the safekeeping and servicing of assets owned by others. Custody banks may also perform services such as the settlement, holding, and reporting of cu...
America’s Water Resources Infrastructure: Approaches to Enhanced Project Delivery
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-18 · Testimony · 6,198 words
water resource; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; public-private partnerships; P3; p4; USACE; WIFIA; Section 408 permission; alternative project delivery; advanced funding; innovative finance
Emergency Alerting—False Alarm in Hawaii
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-17 · Resources · 1,321 words
Background On Saturday, January 13, 2018, at 8:07 a.m., an emergency alert was issued by Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) warning residents and visitors in Hawaii of an incoming ballistic...
Marbury v. Madison Returns! The Supreme Court Considers the Scope of “Judicial” Power
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-16 · Posts · 1,781 words · PDF available
Every first-year law student learns about Marbury v. Madison. In the landmark 1803 opinion by Chief Justice John Marshall, the Supreme Court established the basis for judicial review and set out the l...
Animal Drug User Fee Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-12 · Reports · 8,871 words · PDF available
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) review of brand-name and generic animal drug applications is funded through a combination of annual discretionary appropriations from Congress and user fees ...
Bureau of Reclamation Project Authorization and Financing
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-11 · Resources · 1,558 words
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), an agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI), is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the majority of the large dams and water diversio...
Attorney General’s Memorandum on Federal Marijuana Enforcement: Possible Impacts
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-10 · Posts · 1,201 words
On January 4, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a memorandum on federal marijuana enforcement policy (Sessions Memorandum) to all U.S. Attorneys that immediately rescinds guidance documents sp...
Financial Reform: Muni Bonds and the LCR
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-10 · Resources · 1,724 words
This In Focus reviews legislative proposals to require regulators to allow large banks to use municipal (muni) bonds to meet the requirements of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR). Municipal bonds are...
Water Infrastructure Needs and Challenges
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-10 · Testimony · 2,210 words
Water Resources Development Act, WRDA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, WRRDA 2014, Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN), Chief ...
Supreme Court to Hear Voter Roll Case: What Are the Implications?
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-09 · Posts · 1,685 words
In what has been called a “potentially major case on voting rights,” on January 10, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court is to hear oral argument in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute. Husted involves th...
Congress Considers Reform to Queries of FISA Information as Reauthorization Deadline Approaches
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-08 · Posts · 1,083 words
UPDATE: The House Rules Committee has announced a meeting to consider H.R. 4478 on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 (as an amendment in the nature of a substitute to S. 139). The text of the original post fol...
Drug Compounding: FDA Authority and Possible Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2018-01-05 · Reports · 10,478 words · PDF available
Drug compounding is a process by which a pharmacist or physician combines, mixes, or alters various drug ingredients to create a drug to meet the unique needs of an individual patient for whom an appr...
Agricultural Trade Balances Under NAFTA
Congressional Research Service · 2017-12-29 · Resources · 1,336 words
A focus on trade deficits has emerged as an important fixture of the Trump Administration’s trade policy, including its ongoing review of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Merchandise t...
Comparing Key Elements of H.R. 1 to 2017 Tax Law
Congressional Research Service · 2017-12-22 · Resources · 778 words
H.R. 1 was passed in both the House and the Senate on December 20, 2017 (before the final version was passed, this bill was called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act). The act substantively changes the federal...
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1): Conference Agreement
Congressional Research Service · 2017-12-19 · Resources · 1,750 words
The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) was released by the conference committee on December 15, 2017. The bill contains some elements of the House tax reform blueprint, the “Better Way,” released in 2016. ...
The Application of the “One Central Reason” Standard in Asylum and Withholding of Removal Cases
Congressional Research Service · 2017-12-18 · Posts · 1,244 words
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a non-U.S. national (alien) who fears persecution in his native country may be eligible for asylum or withholding of removal, two forms of relief from ...
Supreme Court Declines to Take Up Military Commission Challenges – Al Bahlul and Al-Nashiri
Congressional Research Service · 2017-12-12 · Posts · 1,310 words
A version of this Sidebar originally appeared June 14, 2017. Update: The Supreme Court denied certiorari in both cases in October 2017. Two detainees at Guantanamo Bay earlier this year petitioned the...
Tax Reform: The Alternative Minimum Tax
Congressional Research Service · 2017-12-04 · Resources · 1,287 words
The U.S. federal income tax has both a personal and a corporate alternative minimum tax (AMT). Both the corporate and individual AMTs operate alongside the regular income tax. They require taxpayers t...
Tax Reform: Repatriation of Foreign Earnings
Congressional Research Service · 2017-12-04 · Resources · 1,471 words
A 2016 report released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Citizens for Tax Justice, and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated that Fortune 500 companies held nearly $2.5 tri...
Killing Endangered Species: What’s Reasonable Self-Defense?
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-29 · Posts · 458 words
In United States v. Wallen, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) recently held that a defendant charged with killing a grizzly bear cub in violation the Endangered ...
Fibbing to Get a Lawyer: Circuits Split on Punishment
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-27 · Posts · 621 words
The lower federal appellate courts do not agree on whether a defendant’s sentence may be increased because he lied in order to become eligible for a court-appointed attorney. The United States Court o...
The Federal Government’s Plenary Immigration Power Collides with the Constitutional Right to an Abortion (Part I)
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-27 · Posts · 1,784 words
This Sidebar is the first in a two-part series discussing Garza v. Hargan, a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit involving a detained unaccompanied alien minor and the right to ...
The Federal Government’s Plenary Immigration Power Collides with the Constitutional Right to an Abortion (Part II)
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-27 · Posts · 1,329 words
This Sidebar is the second in a two-part series discussing the en banc decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (D.C. Circuit) in Garza v. Hargan, affirming a district court’s order ...
Tax Reform: Estate and Gift Tax
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-17 · Resources · 1,254 words
The estate and gift tax is a unified tax, so that assets transferred as gifts during a person’s lifetime are combined with those transferred at death (bequests) and subject to a single rate schedule. ...
Office of Compliance: Background Information
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-16 · Resources · 1,300 words
Establishment and Organization The Office of Compliance (OOC) was established by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA), which was the first bill enacted in the 104th Congress. It was intr...
Joint Employment and the Save Local Business Act
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-15 · Posts · 1,090 words
Note: H.R. 3441, the Save Local Business Act, was passed by the House of Representatives on November 7, 2017 by a vote of 242-181. Since it was decided in 2015, the National Labor Relations Board’s (N...
Can Congress Limit the President’s Power to Launch Nuclear Weapons?
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-09 · Posts · 398 words
Recent legislation proposed in the 115th Congress intended to limit the President’s ability to launch nuclear weapons has prompted heightened attention on Congress’s constitutional power to control th...
Out of Office: Vacancies, Acting Officers, and Day 301
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-01 · Posts · 1,305 words
Across the executive branch, acting officers are currently serving in vacant advice and consent positions, temporarily filling these offices until a permanent officer is nominated by the President and...
Federal Agencies Disagree Whether Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Prohibited by Title VII
Congressional Research Service · 2017-11-01 · Posts · 1,234 words
If an employer fires an employee because of sexual orientation, is that a form of unlawful discrimination “because of sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act? After hearing oral argument on Septe...
Media Ownership Rules, Diversity, and Sinclair-Tribune Merger
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-31 · Resources · 1,637 words
On November 16, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to vote on whether to retain, relax, and/or repeal regulations that restrict the number of media outlets that a single ent...
Treasury Proposes Rule That Could Deliver a “Death Sentence” to Chinese Bank
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-30 · Posts · 1,191 words
In June, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to invoke the “Fifth Special Measure”—a legal tool sometimes characterize...
Department of Health and Human Services Halts Cost-Sharing Reduction (CSR) Payments
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-26 · Posts · 1,788 words
Over the past three years, the House of Representatives and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have been adverse parties in a suit challenging HHS’s payment of cost-sharing reduction (C...
Overview of Artificial Intelligence
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-24 · Resources · 1,520 words
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is growing across a wide range of sectors. Stakeholders and policymakers have called for careful consideration of strategies to influence its growth, reap predi...
Federal Lifeline Program: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-19 · Reports · 3,167 words · PDF available
The Federal Lifeline Program, established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1985, is one of four programs supported under the Universal Service Fund. The Program was originally designe...
Media Diversity, Data, and Decisionmaking
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-18 · Resources · 1,575 words
Government Interest in Media Diversity The representation of diverse points of view and diverse ownership of businesses within the television industry has long been of interest to Congress. Section 25...
UPDATE: When Silence Isn’t Golden: Omissions Liability under Securities Laws
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-17 · Posts · 1,355 words
UPDATE: On October 17, the Court granted a joint motion of the parties to remove the case from its argument calendar in light of the parties’ reported agreement in principle to settle the dispute. Th...
Supreme Court to Address State Court Jurisdiction over Federal Securities Lawsuits
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-16 · Posts · 1,284 words
This term the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Cyan, Inc. v. Beaver County Employees Retirement Fund, a case that may “shift the jurisdictional landscape for securities class actions.” The ca...
Private Securities Offerings: Background and Legislation
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-05 · Resources · 1,439 words · PDF available
Companies turn to a variety of sources to access the funding they need to grow and make new investments. Among them are capital markets, segments of the financial system in which capital is raised thr...
Supreme Court To Hear Partisan Gerrymandering Case On October 3
Congressional Research Service · 2017-10-02 · Posts · 1,282 words
On October 3, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Gill v. Whitford, a case that could significantly impact how congressional and state legislative redistricting maps are drawn. In...
Disaster Assistance and Federal Subsidies for Municipal Bonds
Congressional Research Service · 2017-09-26 · Resources · 1,578 words
The destruction caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria to the Gulf Coast and Southeast regions has prompted a discussion of possible ways for federal, state, and local governments to provide ass...
Autonomous and Semi-autonomous Trucks
Congressional Research Service · 2017-09-20 · Resources · 1,462 words
Introduction Autonomous trucks potentially offer significant freight transportation savings for the U.S. economy. Trucks carry about three-quarters of U.S. freight when measured by cargo weight or val...
Risks and Rewards of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships (P3s), with Lessons from Texas and Indiana
Congressional Research Service · 2017-09-19 · Resources · 1,764 words
A public-private partnership (P3) is a contractual arrangement between a public agency and a private company for the company to assume substantial responsibility for some or all of the planning, desig...
After the Storm: Highway Reconstruction and Resilience
Congressional Research Service · 2017-09-08 · Resources · 1,512 words
In the immediate aftermath of natural disasters, such as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the first road recovery efforts are focused on clearing roads, establishing detours, erecting temporary bridges, an...
Rail Transportation of Crude Oil and the FAST Act: An Update
Congressional Research Service · 2017-09-07 · Resources · 1,421 words
Introduction After a multiyear boom, the volume of crude oil carried by U.S. railroads has fallen to the lowest level since 2012. This decline may have implications for efforts by the U.S. Department ...
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): FY2018 President’s Budget Request
Congressional Research Service · 2017-08-25 · Resources · 1,183 words
Since FY2006, Congress has funded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Title II of Division G of the Consolidated Appropria...
The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act: S. 385 and H.R. 1443
Congressional Research Service · 2017-08-04 · Reports · 8,526 words · PDF available
Energy efficiency—providing the same or an improved level of service with less energy—has been of interest to some Members of Congress. Proponents of increased energy efficiency see an untapped “resou...
Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Coast Guard Sea, Air, and Land Capabilities: Part II
Congressional Research Service · 2017-07-25 · Testimony · 4,691 words
Guard, capabilities, acquisition, shipbuilding, FY2018
Options and Considerations for Achieving a 355-Ship Navy
Congressional Research Service · 2017-07-25 · Testimony · 9,983 words
Navy, force structure, force level, shipbuilding, ships, 355, FY2018
Securing Air Cargo: Industry Perspectives
Congressional Research Service · 2017-07-25 · Testimony · 1,583 words
Transportation Security, Aviation, Air Cargo, Homeland Security
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Gulf Coast Restoration Efforts
Congressional Research Service · 2017-07-17 · Resources · 1,364 words · PDF available
The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig on April 20, 2010, which took place 41 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast, resulted in an unprecedented discharge of oil into U.S. wate...