Policy Library

7,020 documents

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 ...
Pairing in Congressional Voting: The House
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-25 · Reports · 776 words
Under House Rule XX, clause 3, the practice of “pairing” involves—under certain procedural circumstances—a Member who is absent during a vote on the House floor arranging with a Member on the opposite...
House Committee Hearings: Preparation
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-25 · Reports · 582 words
Committee hearings provide Representatives an opportunity to gather information on, and draw attention to, legislation and issues within a committee’s purview; conduct oversight of programs or agencie...
House Committee Hearings: Arranging Witnesses
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-25 · Reports · 929 words
Selecting witnesses is often one of the most important tasks in planning a hearing. House committees and subcommittees pay careful attention to which viewpoints will be represented, who should testify...
House Committee Hearings: Scheduling and Notification
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-25 · Reports · 863 words
Each House committee has the authority to hold hearings whether the House is in session, has recessed, or has adjourned (Rule XI, clause 2(m)(1)(A)). Regardless of the type of hearing, or whether a he...
Amendments in the Senate: Types and Forms
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-25 · Reports · 953 words
The amending process is central to the consideration of legislation by the Senate, and the rules, practices, and precedents that underlie this process frequently depend on distinguishing among amendme...
Farm Safety Net Programs: Background and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-21 · Reports · 9,983 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) operates several programs that supplement the income of farmers and ranchers in times of low farm prices and natural disasters. Federal crop insurance, farm p...
Amendments in the House: Types and Forms
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-21 · Reports · 945 words
The amending process is central to the consideration of legislation by the House of Representatives, and the rules, practices, and precedents that underlie this process frequently depend on distinguis...
Medal of Honor: History and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-18 · Reports · 13,372 words
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award for bravery. It is awarded by the President in the name of Congress. For this reason, it is often referred to as the Congressional Medal of Ho...
The Demand for Municipal Bonds: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-14 · Reports · 11,257 words
Municipal bonds are debt securities issued by states, cities, counties, and other government-created agencies to finance capital projects, such as highways, airports, sewers, bridges, schools, hospita...
House Committee Hearings: The “Minority Witness Rule”
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-14 · Reports · 1,252 words
House Rule XI gives the minority party members of committees the right to have witnesses of their choosing called to testify on at least one day of any hearing scheduled by the majority. The rule has ...
House Committee Hearings: Witness Testimony
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-14 · Reports · 859 words
Witnesses before House committees must generally file advance copies of their written testimony with the committees and then limit their oral testimony to brief summaries (Rule XI, clause 2(g)(5)). A ...
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): Background, Legislation, and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-14 · Reports · 9,317 words
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA; 5 U.S.C. §552) allows any person—individual or corporate, citizen or not—to request and obtain existing, identifiable, and unpublished agency records on any topic...
Overview and Issues for Implementation of the Federal Cloud Computing Initiative: Implications for Federal Information Technology Reform Management
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-14 · Reports · 10,982 words
Cloud computing is a new name for an old concept: the delivery of computing services from a remote location, analogous to the way electricity, water, and other utilities are provided to most customers...
Filling the Amendment Tree in the Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-14 · Reports · 1,874 words
“Amendment trees” are charts that illustrate certain principles of precedence that guide the Senate amendment process. When all of the amendments permitted simultaneously by these principles have been...
Overview of Management and Restoration Activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-06 · Reports · 15,004 words
The Lake Tahoe Basin (Tahoe Basin) straddles the California-Nevada border and includes Lake Tahoe. The basin is regarded for its beauty, wildlife diversity, clear waters, and recreation. Logging and m...
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-06 · Reports · 11,365 words · PDF available
On May 21, 2008, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), referred to by its sponsors as the first civil rights act of the 21st century, was enacted. GINA, P.L. 110-233, prohibits...
Questions of the Privileges of the House: An Analysis
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-05 · Reports · 14,990 words · PDF available
A question of the privileges of the House is a formal declaration by a Member of the House asserting that a situation has arisen affecting “the rights of the House collectively, its safety, dignity an...
“Fast Track” Legislative Procedures Governing Congressional Consideration of a Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) Commission Report
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-05 · Reports · 3,639 words
In 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, and 2005, an independent Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) Commission was authorized by law to recommend the disposal of unneeded defense facilities throughout the...