Policy Library

7,020 documents

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Related Non-Tariff Barriers to Agricultural Trade
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-31 · Reports · 26,624 words
Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures are the laws, rules, standards, and procedures that governments employ to protect humans, animals, and plants from diseases, pests, toxins, and other contamin...
Risk-Based Approaches to Airline Passenger Screening
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-31 · Reports · 10,783 words
Until recently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had applied relatively uniform methods to screen airline passengers, focusing primarily on advances in screening technology to improve ...
Credit for Military Service Under Civilian Federal Employee Retirement Systems
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-27 · Reports · 5,090 words
Federal employees with permanent appointments earn pension benefits under one of two retirement plans. Employees hired after 1983 participate in the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS). Employ...
Authorization of General Services Administration Real Property Projects: Current Process and Proposed Legislation
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-27 · Reports · 5,569 words
The General Services Administration (GSA) controls more than 8,700 owned and leased buildings with 422 million square feet of floor space, which represents about 12.6% of the government’s 3.354 billio...
Disability Retirement for Federal Employees
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-25 · Reports · 3,306 words
Paid sick leave, disability retirement, or workers’ compensation may provide benefits for federal civilian employees during periods of illness, disability, or workplace injury, respectively. Federal c...
Comparison of Rights in Military Commission Trials and Trials in Federal Criminal Court
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-21 · Reports · 12,799 words
The renewal of military commission proceedings against Khalid Sheik Mohammad and four others for their alleged involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks has focused renewed attention on the difference...
The Role of TARP Assistance in the Restructuring of General Motors
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-18 · Reports · 7,073 words
In 2008 and 2009, collapsing world credit markets and a slowing global economy combined to create the worst market in decades for production and sale of motor vehicles in the United States and other i...
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2014 Overview and Summary
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-11 · Reports · 7,080 words
This report provides a brief outline of the FY2014 appropriations legislation for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Administration requested $39.0 billion in adjusted net discretionary bu...
The Taxation of Dividends: Background and Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-10 · Reports · 11,827 words
The tax treatment of dividends has changed numerous times over the past century. Most recently, the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA; P.L. 112-240) increased the tax rate on dividends, from 15% to 2...
Budgetary and Distributional Effects of Adopting the Chained CPI
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-07 · Reports · 4,571 words
This report examines the budgetary and distributional effects of using what is referred to as the Chained Consumer Price Index (C-CPI-U or chained CPI) as the official measure of inflation for adjusti...
Taxation of Hedge Fund and Private Equity Managers
Congressional Research Service · 2014-03-07 · Reports · 4,316 words
Private equity and hedge funds are investment pools generally available only to institutions and individuals able to make investments in excess of $200,000. Private equity funds acquire ownership stak...
Emergency Water Assistance During Drought: Federal Non-Agricultural Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2014-02-26 · Reports · 5,796 words
Drought conditions often fuel congressional interest in federal assistance. While drought planning and preparedness are largely individual, business, local, and state responsibilities, some federal as...
The Lacey Act: Compliance Issues Related to Importing Plants and Plant Products
Congressional Research Service · 2014-02-25 · Reports · 12,834 words
The Lacey Act regulates the trade of wildlife and plants and creates penalties for a broad spectrum of violations. In 2008, the Lacey Act was amended to include protections for foreign plants and to r...
Submission of Mental Health Records to NICS and the HIPAA Privacy Rule
Congressional Research Service · 2014-02-20 · Reports · 9,899 words · PDF available
Questions about the scope and efficacy of the background checks required during certain firearm purchases have gained prominence following recent mass shootings. These background checks are intended t...
The 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79): Summary and Side-by-Side
Congressional Research Service · 2014-02-12 · Reports · 85,226 words
Congress periodically establishes agricultural and food policy in a multi-year, omnibus farm bill. The 2008 farm bill governed policy for farm commodity support, horticulture, livestock, conservation,...
Algae’s Potential as a Transportation Biofuel
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-30 · Reports · 7,563 words
Congress continues to debate the federal role in biofuel research, biofuel tax incentives, and renewable fuel mandates. The debate touches on topics such as fuel imports and security, job creation, an...
Wildfire Protection in the WildlandUrban Interface
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-30 · Reports · 4,509 words
Congressional interest in funding to protect against wildfire threats has focused on communities in and near forests, an area known as the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The WUI is expanding in size ...
International Parental Child Abductions
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-27 · Reports · 4,532 words
International child custody disputes are likely to increase in frequency as the global society becomes more integrated and mobile. A child custody dispute between two parents can become a diplomatic i...
Detention of U.S. Persons as Enemy Belligerents
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-23 · Reports · 35,604 words
The detainee provisions passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012, P.L. 112-81, affirm that the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), P.L. 107-40, in response to th...
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2013 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-22 · Reports · 12,469 words
The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations subcommittee is charged with providing annual appropriations for the Department of Transportation (DOT), D...
Food Fraud and “Economically Motivated Adulteration” of Food and Food Ingredients
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-10 · Reports · 20,404 words · PDF available
Food fraud, or the act of defrauding buyers of food or ingredients for economic gain—whether they be consumers or food manufacturers, retailers, and importers—has vexed the food industry throughout hi...
Indian Health Care: Impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-09 · Reports · 9,273 words
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law a comprehensive health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148). The law, among other things, reauthorize...
Nuclear Power Plant Security and Vulnerabilities
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-03 · Reports · 7,218 words
The physical security of nuclear power plants and their vulnerability to deliberate acts of terrorism was elevated to a national security issue following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Congress su...
The Indian Health Care Improvement Act Reauthorization and Extension as Enacted by the ACA: Detailed Summary and Timeline
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-03 · Reports · 20,705 words
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law a comprehensive health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148). Among its provisions, the ACA reenacts, ...
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-02 · Reports · 8,495 words
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011, a time when the global economy was struggling to recover from the financial crisis and slow ec...
Tax Rates and Economic Growth
Congressional Research Service · 2014-01-02 · Reports · 4,457 words
This report summarizes the evidence on the relationship between tax rates and economic growth, referring in a number of cases to other CRS reports providing more substance and detail. Potentially nega...
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2014 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2013-12-27 · Reports · 0 words
The House and Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations subcommittees are charged with providing annual appropriations for the Department of Tran...
The Development of High Speed Rail in the United States: Issues and Recent Events
Congressional Research Service · 2013-12-20 · Reports · 15,857 words
The provision of $8 billion for intercity passenger rail projects in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) reinvigorated efforts to expand intercity passenger rail transpo...
Production Tax Credit Incentives for Renewable Electricity: Financial Comparison of Selected Policy Options
Congressional Research Service · 2013-12-20 · Reports · 10,378 words
Under current law, the production tax credit (PTC) incentive for renewable electricity will expire at the end of 2013. Generally, congressional debate about the PTC falls within a spectrum of options....
Wildfire Fuels and Fuel Reduction
Congressional Research Service · 2013-12-17 · Reports · 8,360 words · PDF available
Severe wildfires have been burning more acres and more structures in recent years. Some assert that climate change is at least partly to blame; others claim that the increasing number of homes in and ...
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): FY2013 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2013-12-13 · Reports · 13,646 words
The President’s FY2013 budget requested nearly $34 billion in net new budget authority for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in FY2013. This is about $4 billion less than was provi...
Majority Cloture for Nominations: Implications and the “Nuclear” Proceedings of November 21, 2013
Congressional Research Service · 2013-12-06 · Reports · 5,773 words
On November 21, 2013, by overturning a ruling of the chair on appeal, the Senate set a precedent that lowered the vote threshold required by Senate Standing Rule XXII for invoking cloture on most pres...
Length of Time from Nomination to Confirmation for U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominees: Overview and Policy Options to Shorten the Process
Congressional Research Service · 2013-11-20 · Reports · 10,501 words
The process by which lower federal court judges are nominated by the President and considered by the Senate is of continuing interest to Congress. Recent Senate debate over judicial nominations has fr...
Pesticide Registration and Tolerance Fees: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2013-11-05 · Reports · 19,385 words
The Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2012 (PRIA 3; P.L. 112-177), enacted September 28, 2012, amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal...
Carbon Capture: A Technology Assessment
Congressional Research Service · 2013-11-05 · Reports · 0 words
Carbon capture and sequestration (or carbon capture and storage, CCS) is widely seen as a critical strategy for limiting atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)—the principal “greenhouse gas” li...
Carbon Capture Technology Assessment: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2013-11-05 · Reports · 4,317 words
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is widely seen as a critical strategy for limiting atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)—the principal “greenhouse gas” linked to global climate change—f...
Corporate Criminal Liability: An Overview of Federal Law
Congressional Research Service · 2013-10-30 · Reports · 17,921 words
A corporation is criminally liable for the federal crimes its employees or agents commit in its interest. Corporate officers, employees, and agents are individually liable for the crimes they commit, ...
Corporate Criminal Liability: An Abbreviated Overview of Federal Law
Congressional Research Service · 2013-10-30 · Reports · 5,851 words
A corporation is criminally liable for the federal crimes its employees or agents commit in its interest. Corporate officers, employees, and agents are individually liable for the crimes they commit, ...
FY2014 Appropriations Lapse and the Department of Homeland Security: Impact and Legislation
Congressional Research Service · 2013-10-24 · Reports · 8,210 words
Absent legislation providing appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2014, the Department implemented a shutdown furlough on October 1, 2013. Operations of different compone...
Federal Financial Reporting: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2013-10-22 · Reports · 10,071 words
Federal financial reporting—defined here as the process of recording retrospective executive department-level financial and performance information—can provide both a snapshot of the government’s fina...
Improper Payments and Recovery Audits: Legislation, Implementation, and Analysis
Congressional Research Service · 2013-10-18 · Reports · 11,856 words
As Congress searches for ways to generate savings, reduce the deficit, and fund federal programs, it has held hearings and passed legislation to prevent and recover improper payments. Improper payment...
Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Appropriations Process: FAQs Regarding Potential Legislative Changes and Effects of a Government Shutdown
Congressional Research Service · 2013-10-02 · Reports · 11,049 words
Congress has yet to complete legislative action on any of the 12 regular appropriations bills to fund the routine operations of federal agencies for FY2014, which began on October 1, 2013. Moreover, l...
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Background and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2013-09-30 · Reports · 10,286 words
The Great Lakes ecosystem is recognized by many as an international natural resource that has been altered by human activities and climate variability. These alterations have led to degraded water qua...
Overview of Management and Restoration Activities in the Salton Sea
Congressional Research Service · 2013-09-24 · Reports · 14,830 words
The Salton Sea is located in southern California and is considered the largest inland water body in the state. The Salton Basin, where the Salton Sea is located, has supported many lakes and water bod...
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations for FY2013: Debate During the 112th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2013-09-24 · Reports · 27,958 words
Preceding the March 26, 2013, enactment of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), during the 113th Congress, the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (P.L...
Chemical Weapons: A Summary Report of Characteristics and Effects
Congressional Research Service · 2013-09-13 · Reports · 6,400 words
The potential for terrorist use of chemical agents is a noted concern highlighted by the Tokyo sarin gas attacks of 1995. The events of September 11, 2001, increased congressional attention towards re...
Federal Climate Change Funding from FY2008 to FY2014
Congressional Research Service · 2013-09-13 · Reports · 6,518 words
Direct federal funding to address global climate change totaled approximately $77 billion from FY2008 through FY2013. The large majority—more than 75%—has funded technology development and deployment,...
Harbor Maintenance Finance and Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2013-09-12 · Reports · 8,848 words
The federal government has assumed principal responsibility for maintenance of the nation’s harbors and shipping channels. Harbor maintenance activities are overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer...
Federal Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Statutes
Congressional Research Service · 2013-09-09 · Reports · 73,277 words
Federal mandatory minimum sentencing statutes limit the discretion of a sentencing court to impose a sentence that does not include a term of imprisonment or the death penalty. They have a long histor...
Ordering a Roll Call Vote in the Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2013-09-09 · Reports · 1,388 words
Any time the Senate is considering a question—whether that question is a bill, amendment, motion, conference report, or something else—a Senator who has the floor can “ask for the yeas and nays” or a ...