Policy Library

7,020 documents

Gender Activists Are Aiming to Cut Georgia Parents Out
Heritage Foundation · 2024-10-21 · Commentary · 827 words
joxxxxjo/Getty ImagesKey TakeawaysParents in Georgia are in danger of getting squeezed out, and they should be concerned.These gender policies have nothing to do with curriculum or administration, are...
The Public Policy Doctrine and 501(c)(3) Organizations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-21 · Resources · 1,870 words · PDF available
The Supreme Court first applied the public policy doctrine to organizations exempt under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3) in a pair of cases, Bob Jones University v. United States and Gol...
Standardizing Federal Data: Categorizing Approaches
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-21 · Resources · 1,828 words · PDF available
Congress has at times enacted laws that specifically require federal agencies to use data standards, which establish rules to enhance the usability of data. This In Focus provides an overview of three...
Voter Registration: Overview of Federal Involvement and Policy Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-21 · Posts · 1,127 words · PDF available
Voter registration policies are largely determined by state and local governments, subject to certain federal requirements, many of which are found in the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA...
FY2025 Budget Request: Department of Defense-Military (Subfunction 051)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-21 · Posts · 2,713 words · PDF available
On March 11, 2024, the Biden Administration released an FY2025 budget requesting a total of $7.5 trillion in budget authority. Of this total, $850 billion (11.35%) covered discretionary spending for D...
Recouping Federal Grant Awards: How and Why Grant Funds Are Clawed Back
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-21 · Reports · 4,335 words · PDF available
Since 2020, Congress has provided unprecedented levels of funding to federal grant programs. For instance, according to the Pandemic Recovery Accountability Committee (PRAC), Congress has provided $2....
Angola: Key Developments and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-18 · Reports · 10,609 words · PDF available
The Biden Administration, which has emphasized global strategic competition in its 2022 U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, has pursued high-level engagement with the Angolan government. It has d...
Tax Statutes of Limitations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-18 · Infographics · 672 words · PDF available
/ Information as of October 18, 2024, prepared by Justin C. Chung, Legislative Attorney and Jamie Bush, Visual Information Specialist. 1 All citations in this infographic are to the IRC unless otherwi...
U.S. Military Personnel and Hurricane Response Efforts
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-18 · Posts · 965 words · PDF available
Background On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida at Category 4 strength. Subsequent heavy rains and flooding impacted Georgia, South Carolina, North Caroli...
Israel and Hamas: Killing of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-18 · Posts · 1,067 words · PDF available
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on October 17 that Israel’s military killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Hamas is a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization supported by Ir...
Defense Primer: Military Health System
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-18 · Resources · 1,425 words · PDF available
The Department of Defense (DOD) administers a statutory health entitlement (under Title 10, Chapter 55, of the U.S. Code) through the Military Health System (MHS). The MHS offers health care benefits ...
A Hypothetical Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment Based on the Research Consumer Price Index for the Elderly
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-17 · Resources · 1,269 words · PDF available
Background The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers Social Security, a social insurance program that protects an insured worker and his or her eligible family members against a loss of inc...
Derivatives Trading in U.S. Banking
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-17 · Resources · 1,208 words · PDF available
Overview Bank derivative holdings are highly concentrated among large banks, with large banks holding 97.9% of the notional amounts of bank derivative holdings. This level of concentration holds acros...
FEMA’s IA Program Changes to Support Disaster Survivors
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-17 · Resources · 1,516 words · PDF available
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may provide assistance to disaster survivors through the Individual Assistance (IA) program pursuant to a presidential declaration of emergency or major ...
Israel and U.S. Aid: Humanitarian Access in Gaza
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-17 · Posts · 1,039 words · PDF available
Overview On October 13, 2024, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin jointly sent a letter, which the State Department described as a “private diplomatic communic...
Eligibility for Participation in Title IV Student Financial Aid Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Reports · 14,709 words · PDF available
Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) authorizes programs that provide financial assistance to students to aid them in obtaining a postsecondary education at qualifying institutions of higher edu...
Emergency Relief Program for Disaster-Damaged Highways and Bridges
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Reports · 9,304 words · PDF available
Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which made landfall in Florida within two weeks of each other in late September and early October 2024, cost hundreds of lives and caused widespread destruction ...
Social Security and Older Workers
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Reports · 13,424 words · PDF available
Social Security is a social insurance program that provides monthly cash benefits to retired or disabled workers and their eligible family members and eligible survivors of deceased workers. This repo...
The College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 6951)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Reports · 17,987 words · PDF available
During the 118th Congress, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce marked up and ordered reported the College Cost Reduction Act (CCRA; H.R. 6951). Most of the bill’s provisions would amend...
Health Care for Dependents and Survivors of Veterans
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Reports · 6,467 words · PDF available
The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) was established by the Veterans Health Care Expansion Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-82). CHAMPVA is primarily a health in...
Federal Inspection of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Resources · 1,421 words · PDF available
On July 19, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and state public health regulatory...
Closing the Flood Insurance Gap
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Posts · 1,037 words · PDF available
There is a large flood insurance gap in the United States, where many people exposed to flood risk are not covered by flood insurance. Early estimates suggest that very few people had flood insurance ...
Federal Deductibility of State and Local Taxes
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Reports · 7,517 words · PDF available
Under current law, taxpayers who itemize can deduct state and local real estate taxes, personal property taxes, income taxes, and sales taxes (in lieu of income taxes) from federal income when calcula...
Legislative Branch Agency Appointments: History, Processes, and Recent Actions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-16 · Reports · 8,170 words · PDF available
The leaders of the legislative branch agencies and entities—the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Library of Congress (LOC), the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Government Publishi...
Federal Student Loans Made Through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program: Terms and Conditions for Borrowers
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Reports · 66,124 words · PDF available
The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) program is the single largest source of federal financial assistance to support students’ postsecondary educational pursuits. The U.S. Department ...
Federal Student Loan Debt Relief in the Context of COVID-19
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Reports · 16,771 words · PDF available
In early 2020, in response to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump Administration declared a public health emergency under the Public Health Service Act, a national emergency under the National E...
Visa Waiver Program
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Reports · 19,789 words
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP), established in 1986 as a trial program and made permanent in 2000 (P.L. 106-396), allows nationals from 42 countries to enter the United States for periods of up to 90 d...
Offshore Wind: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Engagement with Federally Recognized Tribes
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Resources · 1,645 words · PDF available
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), within the Department of the Interior (DOI), administers offshore wind leasing on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS). Among its responsibilities, BOEM...
Chile: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Resources · 1,716 words · PDF available
Chile, located along the Pacific coast of South America, traditionally has been one of the United States’ closest partners in Latin America. During the 118th Congress, the Senate consented to a tax tr...
Defense Primer: Arlington National Cemetery
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Resources · 1,400 words · PDF available
Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) is a military cemetery administered by the Office of Army Cemeteries. Located in Arlington County, Virginia, the cemetery was created in 1864 during the Civil War fro...
The Small Business Administration’s Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Resources · 1,357 words · PDF available
To help address the needs of America’s smallest businesses, the Small Business Administration (SBA) operates the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME). While 97% of all American employe...
The Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Resources · 1,360 words · PDF available
Small businesses and startups sometimes benefit from assistance growing their companies, including opportunities to raise capital, mentorship, and commercialization help. Accelerators—organizations of...
Science and Technology Issues for the 118th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Reports · 28,393 words · PDF available
The federal government supports scientific and technological advancement directly by funding and performing research and development (R&D) and indirectly by creating and maintaining policies that enco...
A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R. 6655): In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Reports · 2,353 words · PDF available
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA, P.L. 113-128) is the primary federal workforce development statute. WIOA authorized appropriations for its programs through fiscal year (FY)...
Nonimmigrant and Immigrant Visa Categories: Data Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-15 · Reports · 2,720 words · PDF available
This Data Brief describes the nonimmigrant (temporary) and immigrant (permanent) visa categories by which foreign nationals may enter or be present in the United States. The report provides the follo...
Social Security Benefits and Price Indexing: Analysis of Selected Policy Options
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-11 · Reports · 25,451 words · PDF available
Under current law, Social Security benefits are indexed in two ways. For workers, the value of past earnings used to calculate initial benefits is linked to changes in average wages in the economy. Th...
FDA Regulation of Tampons
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-11 · Posts · 984 words · PDF available
An August 2024 study led by researchers at Columbia University evaluated the concentration of 16 different metals in multiple brands of tampons and reported detecting measurable concentrations of all ...
Elections and Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-11 · Posts · 1,001 words · PDF available
Introduction In September and October 2024, Hurricanes Helene and Milton disrupted voter registration, early voting activities, and preparations for the November 5 general election throughout parts of...
Defense Primer: Organization of U.S. Ground Forces
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-10 · Resources · 1,489 words · PDF available
Overview The Army is the U.S. military’s primary ground force. Title 10, Subtitle B, Part I, Chapter 307 of the U.S. Code addresses the organization of the Army. The Marine Corps serves as the Navy’s ...
Presidential Libraries and Museums
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-10 · Resources · 1,690 words · PDF available
At the conclusion of a presidency, former Presidents and their supporters may seek to construct facilities to commemorate their terms of office and house presidential materials. In 1955, Congress enac...
Offshore Energy Agency Appropriations, FY2025
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-10 · Resources · 1,539 words · PDF available
Three entities in the Department of the Interior (DOI) share responsibility for managing the nation’s ocean energy resources on almost 2.5 billion acres of the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS). The ...
Constitutional Challenges to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-10 · Reports · 18,012 words · PDF available
Congress created the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (the program) through the budget reconciliation measure known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA; P.L. 117-169), which became law on Augus...
Defense Primer: Special Operations Forces
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-10 · Resources · 1,248 words · PDF available
Overview Special Operations Forces (SOF) are those active duty and reserve component forces of the military services designated by the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and specifically selected, organize...
Legal Definitions: A Research Guide for Congressional Staff
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-10 · Reports · 1,268 words · PDF available
This report is designed to introduce congressional staff to examples of legal and nonlegal sources, including statutes, legislation, and dictionaries, for researching legal definitions. It includes go...
Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-10 · Reports · 2,274 words · PDF available
Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Pric...
Defense Primer: Department of the Army and Army Command Structure
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-10 · Resources · 881 words · PDF available
Overview Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution stipulates, “The Congress shall have power ... to raise and support Armies ... make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forc...
Federal Student Aid Authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-09 · Resources · 1,373 words · PDF available
Federal financial assistance for students pursuing postsecondary education is primarily provided through Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The general intent for such aid is to assist in mak...
Special Event Security and National Special Security Events: A Summary and Issues for Congressional Consideration
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-09 · Reports · 3,883 words · PDF available
Following the end of the Cold War, policymakers began to be concerned with a rise in international and domestic terrorism threats. Because of this, Congress debated and legislated on the security of l...
Social Security: The Lump-Sum Death Benefit
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-09 · Reports · 2,889 words · PDF available
When a Social Security–insured worker dies, the surviving spouse who was living with the deceased is entitled to a one-time lump-sum death benefit of $255. If they were living apart, the surviving spo...
Restoration of Cell Phone Services: Hurricane Helene
Congressional Research Service · 2024-10-08 · Resources · 1,632 words · PDF available
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida. The hurricane caused flooding and damage to personal property and critical infrastructure, including roads, power, and commun...