Policy Library

6,587 documents

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Finalizes Rule for a Registry of Nonbank Covered Orders
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-29 · Resources · 1,539 words · PDF available
Nonbank consumer finance companies offer consumer finance products or services but do not have traditional bank or credit union charters and are subsequently less regulated, in general, at the federal...
The Congressional Review Act (CRA): A Brief Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-29 · Resources · 1,812 words · PDF available
Overview What is the CRA? The CRA (codified at 5 U.S.C. §§801-808) is a tool Congress can use to overturn certain federal agency actions. The CRA was enacted as part of the Small Business Regulatory E...
Staff Pay, Selected Positions in Senators’ Offices, FY2001-FY2023
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-28 · Reports · 0 words · PDF available
Levels of pay for congressional staff are a source of recurring questions among Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. There may be interest in congressional pay data from multiple ...
Power of Siberia 2: Another Russia-China Pipeline
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-28 · Resources · 1,444 words · PDF available
Overview After suspending natural gas exports to certain European Union (EU) countries in April 2022, Russia has expedited negotiations with China for a new natural gas pipeline named the Power of Sib...
State Regulation of Foreign Ownership of U.S. Land: January 2023 to July 2024
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-28 · Posts · 2,195 words · PDF available
State and federal lawmakers have expressed interest in legislative options to address the potential national security and economic implications of foreign ownership of U.S. land. Between January 2023 ...
Possible U.S.-Saudi Agreements and Normalization with Israel: Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-27 · Reports · 20,612 words · PDF available
The Biden Administration has stated that it considers normalization of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s relationship with Israel as a U.S. national security interest. The Administration also intends for ...
Senate Committee Staff Pay, Selected Positions, FY2001-FY2023
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-27 · Reports · 0 words · PDF available
FY2023 Median Pay and Percentage Change for Selected Staff Positions in Senate Committees, 2024 Dollars and Percentage Change, FY2022-FY2023 Position FY23 Pay, 2024 $ Change, FY22-FY23 Position FY23 P...
House Committee Staff Pay, Selected Positions, 2001-2023
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-27 · Reports · 0 words · PDF available
The level of pay for congressional staff is a source of recurring interest among Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. There may be interest in congressional pay data from multiple...
Staff Pay, Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2023
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-27 · Reports · 0 words · PDF available
Levels of pay for congressional staff are a source of recurring questions among Members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public. There may be interest in congressional pay data for multiple r...
Facts and Figures: EDA Awards Phase 2 Grants Under Tech Hubs and Recompete Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-27 · Posts · 1,046 words · PDF available
In the summer of 2024, U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded $688 million through two recently authorized programs: $504 million to 12 Regional Technology Hubs (Tech Hubs) grantees (...
Student Loans: A Timeline of Actions Taken in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-27 · Resources · 1,650 words · PDF available
In light of the COVID-19 national emergency, lawmakers and the Department of Education (ED) provided various types of relief for federal student loan borrowers. For most borrowers, the primary debt re...
Effect of Rescheduling Marijuana on Access to Financial Services
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-26 · Posts · 2,454 words · PDF available
Although federal law prohibits most marijuana-related activities, a majority of U.S. states and territories have adopted laws permitting certain types of marijuana sales and other marijuana-related ac...
The U.S. Mining Industry and the Rosemont Decision
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-26 · Reports · 9,108 words · PDF available
The General Mining Act of 1872 (Mining Act) formed the bedrock of U.S. mining policy during westward expansion in the 19th century. The law remains in effect. Among other provisions, it allows parties...
Israel, Iran, Hamas, and Lebanese Hezbollah: Various Strikes amid Regional Turmoil
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-26 · Posts · 1,052 words · PDF available
Since the October 7, 2023, attacks led by Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO), conflicts between Israel and Iran and/or its allies have spread across the Middle East. Afte...
Direct Loan Program Student Loans: Terms and Conditions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-26 · Resources · 1,495 words · PDF available
The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) program is the largest source of federal financial aid supporting students’ postsecondary educational pursuits. As of March 31, 2024, $1.4 trillio...
The Sahm Rule Trigger: Is the United States in a Recession?
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-26 · Posts · 1,016 words · PDF available
The cooling labor market has fueled speculation that the United States could be in or headed for a recession. The unemployment rate has been gradually rising from a low of 3.4% in April 2023, and the ...
FY2025 NDAA: Department of Defense Small Business Contracting
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-26 · Posts · 1,024 words · PDF available
Congress has authorized the Department of Defense (DOD) to promote small business contracting, including set-asides under certain conditions, and to award sole-source contracts to small businesses, of...
Social Security Administration (SSA): FY2024 Annual Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE) Appropriation: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-26 · Reports · 3,080 words · PDF available
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is responsible for administering the nation’s primary income support programs for older adults and individuals with disabilities: Social Security and Supplemen...
Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-26 · Resources · 1,689 words · PDF available
Thailand is a long-time military ally and economic partner of the United States. The United States operates numerous regional offices from the Bangkok Embassy, one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missi...
Arbitration Law Update: The Supreme Court’s October 2023 Term
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-23 · Posts · 2,373 words · PDF available
Many contracts contain arbitration agreements that waive the parties’ right to litigate disputes in court and instead require them to submit legal claims to binding arbitration before a neutral third ...
Discretionary Spending in 10 Graphs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-22 · Reports · 4,334 words · PDF available
Each year, Congress provides discretionary funding for a broad range of government activities through appropriations legislation. As Congress develops and considers such legislation, debate often focu...
FY2025 Budget Request for the Military Health System
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-22 · Resources · 1,334 words
On March 11, 2024, President Joseph R. Biden submitted his Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request to Congress. Discretionary funding in the Department of Defense (DOD) budget request totals $849.8 billi...
Adolescent Pregnancy: Federal Prevention Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-22 · Reports · 18,702 words · PDF available
Congress has supported adolescent pregnancy prevention efforts for many years. These programs aim to prevent adolescent pregnancy to avert associated public health, social, and economic challenges tha...
Federal Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-22 · Resources · 1,540 words · PDF available
Background The U.S. teen birth rate—or the number of births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19 each year—has steadily declined since the early 1990s. The rate decreased by 78% from the most recent high o...
Biometric Technologies and Global Security
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-22 · Resources · 1,514 words · PDF available
Biometric technologies use unique biological or behavioral attributes—such as DNA, fingerprints, cardiac signatures, voice or gait patterns, and facial or ocular measurements—to authenticate an indivi...
CRA Lookback Period Currently Estimated to Begin in August 1 Time Frame
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-21 · Posts · 1,017 words · PDF available
The Congressional Review Act (CRA, 5 U.S.C. §§801-808) is a tool that Congress can use to overturn recently finalized regulations. Enacted in 1996, the CRA requires that agencies submit covered rules ...
Emergency Management in the U.S.: Sharing the Costs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-21 · Infographics · 423 words · PDF available
/ After a hazard strikes, the President may authorize different forms of assistance by issuing a declaration of emergency or major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency A...
Financial Services and General Government FY2025 Appropriations: CFPB’s Funding and Structure Provisions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-21 · Posts · 1,018 words · PDF available
On June 17, 2024, the House Committee on Appropriations reported its FY2025 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill (H.R. 8773). The reported bill would change the funding...
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B: Key Statutory and Regulatory Provisions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-20 · Reports · 16,526 words · PDF available
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a statute that authorizes grant programs that support special education and early intervention services for children with disabilities. Under ...
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): An Analytical Review of the Allocation Formulas
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-20 · Reports · 39,165 words · PDF available
The primary source of federal aid for elementary and secondary education is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The ESEA was initially enacted in 1965 (P.L. 89-10), and was most recentl...
Defense Primer: Acquiring Specialty Metals and Sensitive Materials
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-20 · Resources · 1,518 words · PDF available
Some metals and metal alloys, as well as strong permanent magnets known as rare earth magnets, are critical to U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) operations. These are frequently integrated into compone...
SEC Securities Disclosure: Background and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-20 · Resources · 1,717 words · PDF available
Disclosure requirements are the cornerstone of federal securities regulation. One of the key federal securities laws, the Securities Act of 1933 (P.L. 73-22), is often referred to as the “truth in sec...
Three-Judge District Courts
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-20 · Resources · 1,768 words · PDF available
The Constitution vests federal judicial power in “one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” Congress establishes federal courts via le...
Law Enforcement and Technology: Use of Automated License Plate Readers
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-19 · Reports · 5,460 words · PDF available
Over the past couple of decades, law enforcement use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs; also referred to as LPRs) has increased. These tools are now relatively commonplace in policing. Accordi...
The Federal Statistical System: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-19 · Reports · 10,080 words · PDF available
The federal statistical system (FSS) is a decentralized institution comprising more than 100 agencies, organizational units, and programs across the U.S. government that engage in statistical activiti...
Foreign Nationals in the U.S. Armed Forces: Immigration Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-19 · Reports · 12,501 words · PDF available
Enlistment and appointment in the U.S. Armed Forces is currently limited to U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and residents of certain Pacific Islands (Freely Associ...
FY2025 NDAA: Defense Industrial Base Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-19 · Posts · 2,394 words · PDF available
Background The defense industrial base (DIB) is the network of organizations, facilities, and resources that supplies the U.S. government—particularly the Department of Defense (DOD)—with materials, p...
U.S. Sanctions: Targeting International Illicit Drug Production and Trafficking
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-19 · Resources · 1,725 words · PDF available
Sanctions play a role in U.S. national drug control strategies to disrupt and deter the illicit production and trafficking of foreign-produced drugs. The 118th Congress has focused on the role of sanc...
District Court Holds That Google Unlawfully Monopolizes Online Search: Overview and Potential Remedies
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-16 · Posts · 3,022 words · PDF available
On August 5, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held that Google unlawfully monopolizes the markets for general search services and general search text ads through a series of ...
Federal Criminal Laws Prohibiting Unlawful Voting
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-16 · Resources · 1,837 words · PDF available
Introduction While the U.S. Constitution charges the states with primary responsibility for regulating federal elections, it also provides that the federal government play a significant role in overse...
Kazakhstan: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-16 · Reports · 13,492 words · PDF available
Kazakhstan, a U.S. partner in areas such as counterterrorism, regional security, and nuclear nonproliferation, is a strategically situated country with significant hydrocarbon and mineral resources. I...
Policies Governing Employment Discrimination and Harassment in the Judicial Branch
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-16 · Resources · 1,661 words · PDF available
Several federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 501), protect...
Assessing Recent U.S. Airstrikes in the Middle East Under the War Powers Framework
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-15 · Posts · 3,643 words · PDF available
Airstrikes by U.S. forces in the Middle East have markedly increased since the outbreak of the current Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023. To date, the targets have been Iranian-supported milita...
Patent Law: An Introduction and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-15 · Resources · 1,787 words · PDF available
Patents, a form of intellectual property, give their owners certain exclusive rights in new and useful inventions. To encourage innovation, the Constitution gives Congress the power to grant patents t...
The Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Rulemaking
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-15 · Reports · 20,333 words · PDF available
Outstanding Higher Education Act (HEA) Title IV federal student loan debt exceeds $1.6 trillion and is owed by about 45 million borrowers. In August 2022, the Biden Administration announced it would i...
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Budget and Funding: Overview and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-15 · Reports · 9,780 words · PDF available
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency within the Department of Commerce (DOC), is the principal federal agency tasked with understanding and predicting changes in clima...
Defense Primer: Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Contracts
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-15 · Resources · 1,644 words · PDF available
Background When procuring goods or services, the Department of Defense (DOD) generally seeks to obtain the best value for the government by encouraging full and open competition, as required by the 1...
Oversight of Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity: Current Policies and Options for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-14 · Reports · 8,813 words · PDF available
In the United States, oversight of the life sciences, in particular laboratory biosafety and biosecurity, is exercised pursuant to a mixture of federal law, federal guidance, and self-governance, depe...
The Illegality Doctrine and 501(c)(3) Organizations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-14 · Resources · 1,716 words · PDF available
Courts and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have long recognized an implied requirement that organizations exempt from taxation under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3) must not have an i...
Decennial Census and Apportionment: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-08-14 · Posts · 1,311 words · PDF available
Every 10 years, the U.S. Constitution requires administration of a national census—an “actual Enumeration”—conducted “in such Manner as [Congress] shall by Law direct.” The next decennial census is sc...