Policy Library

7,020 documents

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...
Obamacare’s Advocates Mostly Agree On The Facts But Suggest More Corporate Welfare To Prop Up Law
Heritage Foundation · 2016-08-16 · Commentary · 1,710 words
Humana recently announced that next year it is withdrawing from 88% of the counties where it sold Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange plans this year.
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...
Why Obamacare Co-Ops Are Failing At A Rate Of Nearly 50%
Heritage Foundation · 2016-08-12 · Commentary · 1,492 words
Cooperative health insurers (or co-ops) created under a federal grant and loan program in the Affordable Care Act seem to be falling like dominoes.
Congress Fails on Promises to Restore Regular Order and Stop Funding by Crisis
Heritage Foundation · 2016-08-12 · Commentary · 854 words
With only two weeks left on the legislative calendar before the House and Senate leave town for more than seven weeks for the national conventions and their regularly scheduled summer recess, little p...
Fisher v. UT–Austin and the Future of Racial Preferences in College Admissions
Heritage Foundation · 2016-08-10 · Commentary · 261 words
Abigail Fisher made a second trip to the Supreme Court of the United States this term, in her challenge to the University of Texas at Austin’s race-conscious admissions program. In 2013, the Supreme C...
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...
Global Antitrust Institute Propounds Recommendations for Reform of Japan’s Administrative Surcharge System
Heritage Foundation · 2016-08-08 · Commentary · 857 words
Global Antitrust Institute Propounds Recommendations for Reform of Japan’s Administrative Surcharge System.
It Is Hard to Win a Case When You Are AWOL
Heritage Foundation · 2016-08-08 · Commentary · 637 words
Recent decisions throwing out or limiting voter-ID laws misapplied the law and misconstrued the facts.
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...
Is Mere Allegiance to a Business Association's Rules Enough to Plead a Sherman Act Conspiracy?
Heritage Foundation · 2016-08-02 · Commentary · 310 words
The Supreme Court is prepared to resolve a circuit split regarding whether mere participating in a business association runs afoul of antitrust laws.
Dodd-Frank and Glass-Steagall: 'Consumer Protection for Billionaires'
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-27 · Commentary · 1,600 words
It may be hard to believe, but I pay very little attention to presidential politics. People send me news clips and ask me what I think about what the candidates said, but I generally don’t indulge the...
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...
Why Republicans Should Not Fold On Garland's Nomination
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-25 · Commentary · 771 words
Some pundits, such as Leon Wolf at RedState, are urging Senate Republicans to quickly confirm President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the sudden passing o...
How is Russia's Economy? A Yeltsin-Style 'Not Good'
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-25 · Commentary · 953 words
Sometime in the mid-1990s, British Prime Minister John Major reportedly asked Russian President Boris Yeltsin to describe the Russian economy in one word. Yeltsin replied, “Good.” Seeking greater deta...
Obama Can't Rewrite the Law
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-25 · Commentary · 857 words
The president does not have the power to create or rewrite legislation — that is Congress’s job. He is not authorized to dispense with or suspend the law. British kings made this practice familiar to ...
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....
South China Sea After the Tribunal Ruling: Where Do We Go From Here?
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-20 · Commentary · 2,385 words
On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague handed down perhaps the most long awaited finding in its history. After nearly four years of deliberation, the Court ruled on several ...
Hydraulic Fracturing: Selected Legal Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-20 · Reports · 20,676 words
Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to recover oil and natural gas from underground low permeability rock formations, such as shales and other unconventional formations. Its use along with horizo...
Sessions, Adjournments, and Recesses of Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-19 · Reports · 15,906 words · PDF available
The House and Senate use the terms session, adjournment, and recess in both informal and more formal ways, but the concepts apply in parallel ways to both the daily and the annual activities of Congre...
Dispute Settlement in the World Trade Organization: Key Legal Concepts
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-18 · Resources · 1,835 words
The World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements set forth rules for government practices that affect international trade in goods and services. The agreements address import tariffs on products, as well...
How the OECD is Promoting More Identity Theft, Crime, Industrial Espionage, and Suppression of Political Dissidents
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-15 · Commentary · 2,005 words
Tax treaties are usually positive or benign. The protocol amending the multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, currently being considered for ratification by the Un...
The Treaty to End Financial Privacy
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-15 · Commentary · 759 words
Don't judge a treaty by its title, no matter how bureaucratically mundane it may sound. Exhibit A: The Protocol Amending the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters.
Social Security’s Filing Rules: Changes Enacted in 2015
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-15 · Resources · 1,788 words
Overview The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA 2015; P.L. 114-74, signed November 2, 2015) contained a number of Social Security-related provisions, including changes to certain rules that apply when...
Why Big-Wig Financial Execs Love Dodd-Frank
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-14 · Commentary · 1,345 words
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) has released a discussion draft of the Financial CHOICE Act, legislation that would replace large parts of the failed Dodd-Frank Ac...
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA): Overview and Recent Tax Revisions
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-14 · Reports · 6,905 words · PDF available
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-113) made several changes to the tax treatment of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPT...
Campaign Contributions and the Ethics of Elected Officials: Regulation Under Federal Law
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-12 · Reports · 10,832 words · PDF available
Allegations of political corruption often involve questions regarding a public official or candidate’s use of campaign funds or the relationship between campaign contributors and the candidate or offi...
The Truth About the America First Movement
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-11 · Commentary · 1,263 words
Only days after America’s entry into World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill offered his new American allies some advice. “War is a constant struggle and must be waged day to day,” Chur...
Growing Ballistic Missile Threats Cannot Be Ignored
Heritage Foundation · 2016-07-11 · Commentary · 1,281 words
China, Russia, Iran, North Korea—all are U.S. adversaries, and all are making remarkable and continual advances in long-range ballistic missile capabilities.  Maintaining and modernizing our upper-tie...
Derivatives: Introduction and Legislation in the 114th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2016-07-01 · Reports · 20,337 words
Derivatives are financial instruments that come in several different forms, including futures, options, and swaps. A derivative is a contract that derives its value from some underlying asset at a des...
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Child Labor Provisions
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-29 · Reports · 10,312 words
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 prohibits the employment of “oppressive child labor” in the United States, which the act defines—with some exceptions—as the employment of youth under the a...
U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing: Industry Trends, Global Competition, Federal Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-27 · Reports · 11,316 words
Invented and pioneered in the United States shortly after World War II, semiconductors are the enabling technology of the information age. Because of semiconductors new industries have emerged and exi...
Child Welfare: The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-23 · Reports · 11,481 words
The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016 (H.R. 5456 and S. 3065) would amend the child welfare programs authorized in the Social Security Act to allow states to receive open-ended federal supp...
Mileage-Based Road User Charges
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-22 · Reports · 8,956 words
A mileage-based road user charge would involve assessing owners of individual vehicles on a per-mile basis for the distance the vehicle is driven. Currently, federal highway and public transportation ...
Trade-Based Money Laundering: Overview and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-22 · Reports · 8,538 words · PDF available
Trade-based money laundering (TBML) involves the exploitation of the international trade system for the purpose of transferring value and obscuring the true origins of illicit wealth. TBML schemes var...
Statements of Administration Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-21 · Reports · 7,664 words
Presidents communicate their views on pending legislation in a variety of ways. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) formally communicates the Administration’s views by way of Statements of Admin...
Public Transportation Capital Investment Grant (New Starts) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-20 · Reports · 9,634 words · PDF available
The Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program, often called New Starts, is a discretionary funding program for the construction of new fixed-guideway public transportation systems and the expansion of ex...
The Appointment Process for U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-17 · Reports · 29,913 words · PDF available
In recent decades, the process for appointing judges to the U.S. circuit courts of appeals and the U.S. district courts has been of continuing Senate interest. The responsibility for making these appo...
Trends in Child Care Spending from the CCDF and TANF
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-16 · Reports · 13,141 words
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the main source of federal funding dedicated primarily to child care subsidies for low-income working families. The term “CCDF” was coined in regulation b...
Oil and Gas Pipeline Infrastructure and the Economic, Safety, Environmental, Permitting, Construction, and Maintenance Considerations Associated with That Infrastructure
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-14 · Testimony · 866 words
pipelines, infrastructure, safety, security, oil, natural gas, siting
Hydropower: Comparison of Selected Provisions in S. 2012, as Engrossed in the House, and S. 2012, as Engrossed in the Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2016-06-13 · Reports · 6,900 words
In the 114th Congress, the House and Senate have passed energy legislation that addresses hydropower. Both the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2016 (S. 2012, as engrossed in t...