Policy Library

7,020 documents

Specialty Drugs: Background and Policy Concerns
Congressional Research Service · 2015-08-03 · Reports · 13,496 words
Specialty drugs are one of the fastest-growing areas of health care spending. There is no one set definition of specialty drugs, although insurers and other health care payers often characterize them ...
National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations: A Glimpse at the Legal Background
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-31 · Reports · 3,818 words
Five federal statutes authorize intelligence officials to request certain business record information in connection with national security investigations. The authority to issue these national securit...
National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations: Legal Background
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-30 · Reports · 23,499 words
Five federal statutes authorize intelligence officials to request certain business record information in connection with national security investigations. The authority to issue these national securit...
Charter-Time Warner Cable-Bright House Networks Mergers: Overview and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-24 · Reports · 12,245 words
In May 2015, Charter Communications, Inc. announced that it reached agreements with Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) to merge the two companies in a deal valued at $78.7 billion, including the assumption ...
Update on the Highly-Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak of 2014-2015
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-20 · Reports · 6,861 words
The U.S. poultry industry is experiencing a severe outbreak of highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS...
Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Independent and Other Agencies During the 113th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-16 · Reports · 12,294 words
The President makes appointments to positions within the federal government, either using the authorities granted by law to the President alone or with the advice and consent of the Senate. This repor...
Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Executive Departments During the 113th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-15 · Reports · 16,076 words
The President makes appointments to positions within the federal government, either using the authorities granted by law to the President alone, or with the advice and consent of the Senate. There are...
Hydraulic Fracturing and Safe Drinking Water Act Regulatory Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-13 · Reports · 17,072 words
Hydraulic fracturing is a technique developed initially to stimulate oil production from wells in declining oil reservoirs. With technological advances, hydraulic fracturing is now widely used to init...
Hydropower: Federal and Nonfederal Investment
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-07 · Reports · 14,292 words
Congress continues to look at various fuel contributions to the electricity market and federal involvement with these fuel sources. Hydropower, the use of flowing water to produce electricity, is one ...
How the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Work: An Abridged Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-02 · Reports · 4,045 words
Sentencing for all serious federal noncapital crimes begins with the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Congress establishes the maximum penalty and sometimes the minimum penalty for every federal crime b...
Physical Security of the U.S. Power Grid: High-Voltage Transformer Substations
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-02 · Reports · 17,643 words
The U.S. electric power grid consists of over 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and hundreds of large transformer substations. High voltage (HV) transformer units make up less than 3% o...
How the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Work: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2015-07-02 · Reports · 25,155 words
Sentencing for all serious federal noncapital crimes begins with the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Congress establishes the maximum penalty and sometimes the minimum penalty for every federal crime b...
U.S. Capital Markets and International Accounting Standards: GAAP Versus IFRS
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-25 · Reports · 11,526 words
Capital markets function most efficiently when investors and creditors have a high degree of trust in the quality of information communicated by firms. Financial reports and disclosures are the primar...
Sex Trafficking: An Abbreviated Overview of Federal Criminal Law
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-25 · Reports · 6,241 words
Sex trafficking is a state crime. Federal law, however, makes it a federal crime to conduct the activities of a sex trafficking enterprise in a way that affects interstate or foreign commerce or that ...
Sex Trafficking: An Overview of Federal Criminal Law
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-25 · Reports · 19,573 words
Sex trafficking is a state crime. Federal law, however, makes it a federal crime to conduct the activities of a sex trafficking enterprise in a way that affects interstate or foreign commerce or that ...
Social Networking and Committee Communications: Use of Twitter and Facebook in the 113th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-19 · Reports · 8,612 words
Communications between congressional committees and constituents and stakeholder groups have changed with the development of social networking services. Many committees now use email, official website...
The Medical Device Excise Tax: Economic Analysis
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-18 · Reports · 14,733 words
The 2.3% medical device tax imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148) in 2010 was one of a number of additional revenue-raising provisions to finance health reform. This tax, which took e...
Civilian Federal Retirement: Current Law, Recent Changes, and Reform Proposals
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-18 · Resources · 1,644 words
Current Law Most civilian federal workers hired before 1984 are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Most civilian federal workers hired in 1984 or later are covered by the Federal ...
Conference Reports and Joint Explanatory Statements
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-11 · Reports · 884 words · PDF available
When a conference committee completes its work successfully, the committee presents and explains its agreements in two documents: first, a conference report; and second, a joint explanatory statement,...
Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act: A Legal Analysis of the Criminal Provisions of P.L. 114-22
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-09 · Reports · 8,170 words
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, P.L. 114-22 (S. 178), establishes and enhances a host of federal programs designed to prevent human trafficking and assist its victims. It also adjusts fede...
Sex Trafficking: Proposals in the 114th Congress to Amend Federal Criminal Law
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-09 · Reports · 10,482 words
Existing federal law outlaws sex trafficking and provides a variety of mechanisms to prevent it and to assist its victims. Members have offered a number of proposals during the 114th Congress to bolst...
Campaign Finance: Constitutionality of Limits on Contributions and Expenditures
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-08 · Reports · 9,517 words
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” This provision limits the government’s power to restrict s...
Congressional Power to Create Federal Courts: A Legal Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2015-06-01 · Reports · 18,295 words
The U.S. Constitution established only one federal court—the U.S. Supreme Court. Beyond this, Article III of the Constitution left it to the discretion of Congress to “ordain and establish” lower fede...
An Overview of the Employment-Population Ratio
Congressional Research Service · 2015-05-27 · Reports · 4,725 words
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines the employment-population ratio as the ratio of total civilian employment to the civilian noninstitutional population. Simply put, it is the portion of the...
Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions on Regulatory and Other Collegial Boards and Commissions, 113th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-05-20 · Reports · 15,079 words
The President makes appointments to certain positions within the federal government, either using authorities granted to the President alone or with the advice and consent of the Senate. There are som...
Federal Grand Juries: The Law in a Nutshell
Congressional Research Service · 2015-05-07 · Reports · 2,785 words
The federal grand jury exists to investigate crimes against the United States and to secure the constitutional right of grand jury indictment. Its responsibilities require broad powers. As an arm of t...
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for the 114th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-05-05 · Reports · 10,362 words
Congress established the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) through the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-282). The act states, “The...
International Air Service Controversies: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2015-05-04 · Reports · 5,834 words
“Open skies” agreements are a form of international civil air service agreement that facilitates international aviation in a deregulated environment. They eliminate government involvement in airline d...
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Legislation in the 114th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-04-29 · Reports · 8,885 words
A surprising number of federal crimes carry mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment; that is, they are punishably by imprisonment for a term of not less than some number of years. During the 114th Con...
Cash Versus Accrual Accounting: Tax Policy Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2015-04-24 · Reports · 6,049 words
Two methods of accounting are generally available to businesses: cash basis and accrual basis accounting. Under cash basis accounting, revenue and expenses are recognized and recorded when cash is act...
An Analysis of the Regulatory Burden on Small Banks
Congressional Research Service · 2015-04-22 · Reports · 22,447 words
Since the financial crisis, policymakers have focused on addressing the failures that led to turmoil and ensuring that the financial system and the economy are better positioned to withstand future ma...
An Overview of Unconventional Oil and Natural Gas: Resources and Federal Actions
Congressional Research Service · 2015-04-22 · Reports · 14,111 words
The United States has seen resurgence in petroleum production, mainly driven by technology improvements—especially hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling—developed for natural gas production fr...
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Recent Activities and Ongoing Developments
Congressional Research Service · 2015-04-17 · Reports · 7,783 words
In the wake of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, federal agencies, state and local government agencies, and responsible parties face...
Issues in International Trade: A Legal Overview of Investor-State Dispute Settlement
Congressional Research Service · 2015-04-16 · Reports · 24,388 words
Ongoing trade negotiations among the United States and several Pacific Rim countries regarding the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and between the United States and the European Uni...
2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force: Issues Concerning Its Continued Application
Congressional Research Service · 2015-04-14 · Reports · 8,683 words
In response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States, Congress enacted the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001 AUMF; P.L. 107-40; 50 U.S.C. §1541 note) to autho...
Food Safety Issues for the 114th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-04-10 · Reports · 15,469 words
Congress passed comprehensive food safety legislation in December 2010 (FDA Food Safety Modernization Act [FSMA], P.L. 111-353), representing the largest expansion and overhaul of U.S. food safety aut...
Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government Operations
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-27 · Reports · 17,819 words · PDF available
The gross federal debt, which represents the federal government’s total outstanding debt, consists of (1) debt held by the public and (2) debt held in government accounts, also known as intragovernmen...
H.R. 37 Derivatives Provision May Create Broader Exemption
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-27 · Resources · 1,536 words
The 114th Congress has debated the pros and cons of financial reform in H.R. 37, the Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act (commonly referred to as the financial reform bill)....
Cyberwarfare and Cyberterrorism: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-27 · Reports · 6,531 words
Recent incidents have highlighted the lack of consensus internationally on what defines a cyberattack, an act of war in cyberspace, or cyberterrorism. Cyberwar is typically conceptualized as state-on-...
Educational Accountability and Reauthorization of the ESEA
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-23 · Resources · 1,444 words
Federal policies aiming to improve the effectiveness of schools have historically focused on inputs, such as supporting class-size reduction and compensatory programs or services for disadvantaged stu...
Firearms at Army Corps Water Resource Projects: Proposed Legislation and Issues in the 113th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-16 · Reports · 5,421 words
As part of its civil works mission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages water resource projects. Areas behind and below Corps dams and around Corps locks, levees, and waterways are popular recrea...
Offices and Officials in the Senate: Roles and Duties
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-16 · Reports · 6,793 words
Article I, Section 3, clause 5 of the United States Constitution authorizes the Senate to choose its own officers, but does not specify their titles, roles, or duties. This report provides a brief ov...
Chicken Imports from China
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-12 · Resources · 1,563 words
In August 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) granted equivalency to China’s poultry processing system. This determination allows China to exp...
U.S. Circuit and District Court Judges: Profile of Select Demographic Characteristics
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-11 · Resources · 1,266 words
The demographic characteristics of U.S. circuit and district court judges are of ongoing interest to Congress. Such interest is demonstrated especially at the time circuit and district court nominatio...
Recess Appointments: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-11 · Reports · 5,960 words · PDF available
Under the Constitution (Article II, §2, clause 2), the President and the Senate share the power to make appointments to high-level policy-making positions in federal departments, agencies, boards, and...
Federal Employees’ Retirement System: The Role of the Thrift Savings Plan
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-10 · Reports · 11,029 words
Federal employees participate in one of two retirement systems. The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) was established in 1920 and covers only employees hired before 1984. Participants in the CSRS...
U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During President Obama’s First Six Years (2009-2014): Comparative Analysis with Recent Presidents
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-09 · Reports · 8,974 words
The selection and confirmation process for U.S. circuit and district court judges is of continuing interest to Congress. Recent Senate debates over judicial nominations have focused on issues such as ...
Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits
Congressional Research Service · 2015-03-06 · Reports · 8,707 words
For decades, federal policymakers and state administrators of governmental assistance programs, such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants (formerly Aid to Families with D...
Implementation of Chemical Facility AntiTerrorism Standards (CFATS): Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-02-25 · Reports · 7,975 words
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implements the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) regulations, which regulate security at high-risk facilities possessing more than certain am...
Climate Change Adaptation by Federal Agencies: An Analysis of Plans and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2015-02-23 · Reports · 41,909 words · PDF available
Though Congress has debated the significance of global climate change and what federal policies, if any, should address them, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) since 2013 has identified the c...