Policy Library

6,587 documents

Poverty in the United States in 2022
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-29 · Reports · 10,526 words · PDF available
The federal government publishes poverty statistics using two measures: the official poverty measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). These two measures tell different stories about who is ...
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Supplemental Funding for Ukraine: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-26 · Reports · 5,982 words · PDF available
In 2022, the Biden Administration submitted to Congress four emergency supplemental funding requests to address the crisis caused by Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine. Congress, in turn, passed fou...
FDA Human Medical Product User Fee Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-26 · Reports · 7,351 words · PDF available
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates human medical products to ensure they are safe and effective for their intended use in patients. Medical products include prescription and nonprescript...
U.S. Sanctions on Russia: Legal Authorities and Related Actions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-26 · Reports · 21,941 words · PDF available
Sanctions are a central element of U.S. policy to deter, alter, and counter malign Russian activities. The United States maintains sanctions on Russia in part to reverse Russian aggression in Ukraine ...
Nicaragua
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-26 · Resources · 1,686 words · PDF available
Nicaragua, a Central American country bordering Honduras and Costa Rica, is experiencing significant political repression under the authoritarian rule of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice Pre...
Aviation, Air Pollution, and Climate Change
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-26 · Resources · 1,703 words · PDF available
Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in addressing air pollution emissions, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the climate change effects from domestic and international aviation. Recent ...
FY2024 Military Construction Appropriations: A Summary
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-25 · Posts · 1,175 words · PDF available
On March 9, 2023, the Biden Administration submitted the FY2024 President’s Budget Request (PBR) seeking $16.675 billion for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) military construction (MILCON) and family ...
Status of FY2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-25 · Reports · 5,851 words · PDF available
This report provides a brief summary of the status of FY2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) appropriations as of the cover date of this report. It also provides background on t...
FY2024 National Security Supplemental Funding: Defense Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-25 · Posts · 1,654 words · PDF available
Background On October 20, 2023, the Biden Administration submitted to Congress a request for FY2024 emergency supplemental appropriations to address “key national security priorities.” President Biden...
The Compacts of Free Association
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-25 · Resources · 1,681 words · PDF available
Overview The Compacts of Free Association govern the relationships between the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and Republic of Palau...
Contributions to Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs): Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-25 · Reports · 1,424 words · PDF available
This Fact Sheet provides data from Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Statistics of Income (SOI) data on taxpayers’ contributions to traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) in tax year ...
The Change Healthcare Cyberattack and Response Considerations for Policymakers
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-24 · Posts · 1,148 words · PDF available
On February 21, 2024, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated disclosed that one of its companies’ units—Change Healthcare—was experiencing a cyberattack. The BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware group—a Russia-linked c...
The Baltimore Bridge Collapseand the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-24 · Posts · 2,303 words · PDF available
On March 26, 2024, the Dali—a 985-foot container ship—struck a support structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the bridge to collapse. As of the time of writing, four people ar...
Ecuador’s April 2024 Plebiscite on Security Measures: Implications for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-24 · Posts · 1,013 words · PDF available
On April 21, 2024, Ecuador held a plebiscite on 11 proposed reforms that seek to address the country’s ongoing security crisis. According to preliminary results released by Ecuador’s electoral body, v...
India: Human Rights Assessments
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-24 · Resources · 1,686 words · PDF available
Overview India is a multiparty, federal, parliamentary democracy. As reported by the State Department’s 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (Human Rights Reports or HRRs), India is the site...
Information Technology Spending in the President’s Budget Submission for FY2025: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-24 · Reports · 3,640 words · PDF available
Government spending on information technology (IT) has evolved from a minor component of the President’s annual budget submission to a dedicated chapter over the past two decades. This evolution refle...
United States Oil
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-24 · Infographics · 275 words · PDF available
/ United States Oil The United States is currently the largest crude oil producer, petroleum products consumer, and the country with the largest amount of crude oil refining capacity. Integrated with ...
The Department of Labor’s Proposed Rule on Investment Advice in Private Sector Pension Plans and Individual Retirement Accounts
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-23 · Reports · 11,453 words · PDF available
Following the enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA; P.L. 93-406), regulations issued in 1975 (“the 1975 rule”) defined investment advice using a five-part test. To b...
USDA Rural Utilities Service’s Support for Tribes and Other Indigenous Entities
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-23 · Reports · 9,612 words · PDF available
The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Rural Development (RD) mission area administers a range of programs that help offset the costs of building and repair...
Fourth Circuit Rules Parochial School’s 501(c)(3) Tax Exemption Does Not Trigger Title IX Obligations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-23 · Posts · 2,290 words · PDF available
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits entities “receiving federal financial assistance” from discriminating based on sex in education programs and activities. The statute a...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (April 15–April 21, 2024)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-23 · Posts · 1,670 words · PDF available
The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal disputes. This Sidebar series selects decisions from the past week that may be of particular interest to fede...
The DOJ’s Monopolization Case Against Apple
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-23 · Posts · 2,988 words · PDF available
On March 21, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ), together with 15 states and the District of Columbia, filed a complaint in federal district court accusing Apple of monopolizing smartphone markets ...
Private Credit: Trends and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-23 · Resources · 1,434 words · PDF available
Private credit generally refers to a type of lending undertaken by nonbank financial institutions and made to small- and medium-sized private companies that are not publicly traded. As a rapidly growi...
Bank Failures: The FDIC’s Systemic Risk Exception
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-23 · Resources · 1,855 words · PDF available
When Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank failed, the Treasury Secretary, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced on March 12, 2023, that the ...
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) Expiring Tax Provisions: Economic and Distributional Effects
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-22 · Resources · 667 words · PDF available
A number of the changes enacted as part of P.L. 115-97, commonly referred to as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” or TCJA, are temporary. Many of these provisions, particularly those affecting individuals a...
EMTALA Emergency Abortion Care Litigation Over Idaho’s Abortion Restriction Heads to the Supreme Court
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-22 · Posts · 2,701 words · PDF available
On April 24, 2024, the Supreme Court is set to hear oral argument in Moyle v. United States, a case about access to emergency abortion services. Specifically, the case concerns whether the Emergency M...
SBA’s Rural Activities
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-22 · Resources · 1,634 words · PDF available
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) mission is to “aid, counsel, assist, and protect” the interests of small businesses. While SBA generally helps small businesses regardless of location,...
Banks’ Unrealized Losses, Part 1: New Treatment in the “Basel III Endgame” Proposal
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-22 · Posts · 1,069 words · PDF available
On July 27, 2023, the federal banking regulators released a proposed rule that would amend bank capital rules for banks with over $100 billion in assets. The proposal would implement what is popularly...
FY2024 Defense Appropriations: Summary of Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-22 · Posts · 1,175 words · PDF available
The annual Department of Defense Appropriations Act primarily funds U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) activities except for military construction and family housing programs. It also funds certain acti...
The Biden Administration’s First Student Loan Debt Relief Proposed Rule
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-22 · Posts · 996 words · PDF available
On April 17, 2024, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (the Secretary) published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), describing when the Secretary may waive all or part o...
Access to Criminal History Record Information for Noncriminal Justice Purposes
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-22 · Resources · 1,746 words · PDF available
In the interest of allowing states to screen people who might work in professions where they would be responsible for caring for vulnerable people or where public safety concerns are implicated, Congr...
Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-168): Expansion of Health Care Eligibility and Toxic Exposure Screenings
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-19 · Reports · 14,116 words · PDF available
Numerous legislative measures were introduced in the 117th Congress to address the health and disability compensation concerns of veterans potentially exposed to toxic substances during military servi...
Race-Conscious Admissions and Equal Protection in Higher Education
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-19 · Reports · 10,533 words · PDF available
In its 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the Supreme Court upended decades-old precedent allowing some use of race in higher education admissions, sometimes known as “affirmati...
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2025 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-19 · Resources · 1,369 words · PDF available
Introduction The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI), has a mission to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habit...
FY2024 Defense Appropriations: Status of Legislative Activity
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-19 · Posts · 1,057 words · PDF available
On March 23, 2024, Congress enacted the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2024 as Division A of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-47), a package of six appropriations...
Takings Claims in DeVillier v. Texas Awash in Procedural Matters
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-18 · Posts · 1,378 words · PDF available
In April 2024, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in a DeVillier v. Texas, a case brought by landowners who sought compensation for property damage caused by the state. Several years a...
Changes to India’s Citizenship Laws
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-18 · Resources · 1,731 words · PDF available
Many in Congress have taken interest in human rights and religious freedom in India. In late 2019, India’s parliament passed, and its president signed into law, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 20...
U.S. Repatriation Program for Citizens Returned from Abroad
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-18 · Resources · 1,781 words · PDF available
Introduction Section 1113 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. §1313) permanently authorizes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide temporary aid to certain repatriated U.S...
The Congressional Review Act: Defining a “Rule” and Overturning a Rule an Agency Did Not Submit to Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-18 · Resources · 1,536 words · PDF available
The Congressional Review Act (CRA, 5 U.S.C. §§801-808) provides Congress with a mechanism to review federal agency actions that meet the CRA’s definition of rule. Enacted in 1996, the CRA requires age...
FISA Section 702 Sunset, Authorization, and Potential Extension
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-17 · Posts · 1,924 words · PDF available
Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA)—as amended by the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (FAA), FISA Amendments Act of 2017, and National Defense Authorization Act for Fisca...
The Paperwork Reduction Act and Federal Collections of Information: A Brief Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-17 · Resources · 1,609 words · PDF available
Congress enacted the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) in 1980 and reauthorized it in 1995 (codified at 44 U.S.C. §§3501-3521) in part to address a concern that the federal government was requiring busine...
Shelter and Services Program (SSP) FY2024 Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-17 · Posts · 1,035 words · PDF available
On April 12, 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the availability of FY2024 Shelter and Services Program (SSP) grant funding. The SSP funds nonfederal entities providing foo...
Class VI Carbon Sequestration Wells: Permitting and State Program Primacy
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-16 · Reports · 7,201 words · PDF available
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates wells used for underground injection of carbon dioxide, known as Class VI wells. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), administered by EPA, prohi...
Bureau of Land Management: FY2024 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-16 · Resources · 1,428 words · PDF available
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in the Department of the Interior (DOI), manages 245 million acres of federal land, nearly all in the West. Under its multiple-use mission, BLM manages lands for d...
The Deliberative Process Privilege in Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-16 · Resources · 1,724 words · PDF available
The executive branch sometimes invokes the deliberative process privilege (DPP) in response to requests for information from Congress and the public, both in litigation and, with respect to the former...
Illustrative Examples of Premium Tax Credit Variation Among Hypothetical Households
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-16 · Reports · 6,820 words · PDF available
Individuals without access to subsidized health insurance coverage may be eligible for the premium tax credit (PTC), a federal subsidy that reduces an individual’s or family’s premium for qualified he...
U.S. Naturalization Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-15 · Reports · 14,731 words · PDF available
Naturalization is the process that grants U.S. citizenship to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who fulfill requirements established by Congress and enumerated in the Immigration and Nationality Act (...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (April 8–April 14, 2024)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-15 · Posts · 1,289 words · PDF available
The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal disputes. This Sidebar series selects decisions from the past week that may be of particular interest to fede...
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2024 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-15 · Resources · 1,189 words
Introduction The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI), has a mission to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habit...
Legal Requirements for Section 501(c)(3) Hospitals
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-15 · Reports · 6,047 words · PDF available
It is estimated that approximately half of private, community hospitals are non-profit organizations, which may be eligible for federal income tax exemption as charitable organizations under § 501(c)(...