Policy Library

6,587 documents

American Indian, Alaska Native, and Tribal Population Data
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-02 · Resources · 1,501 words · PDF available
Overview Federal agencies collect population data, including on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and federally recognized tribes (hereinafter tribes), to allocate funding and prov...
Overview of FY2024 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-02 · Reports · 9,043 words · PDF available
This report describes actions to provide FY2024 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. The annual CJS appropriations act provides funding for the Departmen...
Medical Care Standards in Immigrant Detention Facilities
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-02 · Resources · 1,618 words · PDF available
In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and whistleblower complaints about medical neglect and unnecessary gynecological procedures have led to concerns over the medical care of noncitizens in the cust...
Proposed U.S.-EU Critical Minerals Agreement
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-02 · Posts · 1,054 words · PDF available
Since a March 2023 announcement, the United States and European Union (EU) have been negotiating a critical minerals agreement (CMA). Key objectives are to enable critical minerals extracted or proces...
Proposed Expanded Collection of Statistics on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity by the Federal Government
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-02 · Posts · 1,049 words · PDF available
The U.S. Census Bureau has proposed a test of questions about sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) as possible additions to the American Community Survey (ACS). While federal surveys have col...
Overview of the 2018 Farm Bill Energy Title Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-02 · Resources · 1,416 words · PDF available
Congress has long encouraged the production of renewable energy and products derived from agriculture-based feedstock in pursuit of various policy goals. These goals include U.S. energy security, gree...
Hong Kong Adopts New National Security Ordinance: Article 23
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-01 · Posts · 983 words · PDF available
On March 23, 2024, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) promulgated an ordinance with the stated purpose of strengthening the “legal system and enforcement mechanisms ...
Programs for Beginning, Limited Resource, Veteran, Socially Disadvantaged, and Tribal and Indigenous Farmers and Ranchers and for Small Farms and Ranches
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-01 · Reports · 15,600 words · PDF available
Historically underserved farmers and ranchers represent a diverse share of all U.S. agricultural producers. This includes socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers (SDFRs), who are producers belongin...
The United States Courts of Appeals: Background and Circuit Splits from 2023
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-01 · Reports · 25,187 words · PDF available
The United States Courts of Appeals frequently act as the final arbiters of questions of law within their respective jurisdictions. Although the Supreme Court of the United States sits at the pinnacle...
The OECD/G20 Pillar 1 and Digital Services Taxes: A Comparison
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-01 · Reports · 10,547 words · PDF available
If Congress chooses not to adopt Pillar 1 of the OECD/G20 proposal to allocate some taxing rights to market countries, digital services taxes (DSTs) will likely continue and proliferate. DSTs are taxe...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (March 25–March 31, 2024)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-04-01 · Posts · 1,311 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...
Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-29 · Resources · 1,693 words · PDF available
At about 1:30 a.m. on March 26, 2024, the MV Dali, a container ship departing the Port of Baltimore, struck a support tower of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD, causing the bridge to coll...
Private Flood Insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-29 · Posts · 1,037 words · PDF available
The National Flood Insurance Program The NFIP was first authorized by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. §4001 et seq.) and was reauthorized until the end of FY2017 by the Biggert-Wat...
Intelligence Community Whistleblower Provisions: A Legislative History
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-29 · Reports · 9,804 words · PDF available
Intelligence community (IC) whistleblowers are employees or contractors of the federal government working in any of the 18 elements of the IC who disclose their reasonable belief of a violation of law...
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment and Presidential Inability, Part 6: Final Approval and Implementation
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Posts · 1,072 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar post is the sixth in a seven-part series that discusses the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. In an effort to ensure that the United States will always possess a functioni...
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment and Presidential Inability, Part 1: Introduction
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Posts · 1,106 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar post is the first in a seven-part series that discusses the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. In an effort to ensure that the United States will always possess a functioni...
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment and Presidential Inability, Part 2: Federal Convention Debates
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Posts · 1,535 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar post is the second in a seven-part series that discusses the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. In an effort to ensure that the United States will always possess a function...
Capital One–Discover Proposed Merger: Systemic Risk and Market Competition Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Resources · 1,581 words · PDF available
In February 2024, Capital One announced a merger deal with Discover. This In Focus explores the policy issues raised by the potential merger that may be of interest to Congress, with particular attent...
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment and Presidential Inability, Part 3: History of Presidential Succession
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Posts · 1,127 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar post is the third in a seven-part series that discusses the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. In an effort to ensure that the United States will always possess a functioni...
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment and Presidential Inability, Part 4: Early Congressional Action
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Posts · 1,086 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar post is the fourth in a seven-part series that discusses the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. In an effort to ensure that the United States will always possess a function...
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment and Presidential Inability, Part 5: Congressional Debates
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Posts · 975 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar post is the fifth in a seven-part series that discusses the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. In an effort to ensure that the United States will always possess a functioni...
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment and Presidential Inability, Part 7: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Posts · 928 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar post is the last in a seven-part series that discusses the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. In an effort to ensure that the United States will always possess a functionin...
The 2023 Merger Guidelines: Analysis and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Posts · 3,509 words · PDF available
In December 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized the 2023 Merger Guidelines (the Guidelines), which outline the agencies’ analytical approach to merger re...
The First Amendment: Categories of Speech
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-28 · Resources · 1,686 words · PDF available
The Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from “abridging the freedom of speech” but does not define what that freedom entails. The Supreme Court has long interpreted the ...
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Background and FY2024 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-27 · Resources · 1,497 words · PDF available
Background The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in the Department of the Interior (DOI), provides scientific information to support the management of water, energy, mineral, ecosystem, and land resource...
The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA): Overview and Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-26 · Reports · 10,734 words · PDF available
Federal advisory committees are created by Congress, Presidents, and executive branch agencies to gain expertise and policy advice from individuals outside the federal government. While they may be ca...
Recent Caseload Statistics for U.S. District Courts: Criminal Defendants Charged with Firearms or Explosives Offenses (2001-2023)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-26 · Posts · 1,050 words · PDF available
This Insight provides an overview and analysis of federal criminal defendants charged with offenses related to firearms or explosives in U.S. district courts. Specifically, this Insight provides infor...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (March 18–March 24, 2024)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-25 · Posts · 2,226 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...
Emerging Legal Issues Under Title IX: Transgender Athletes and Name, Image, and Likeness Compensation for College Athletes
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-25 · Reports · 14,029 words · PDF available
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. All K–12 public sch...
District Court Ruling on MBDA Business Development Program
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-25 · Posts · 948 words · PDF available
In a March 2024 decision, Nuziard et al. v. Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) et al., the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas found the MBDA’s presumption of social disadv...
The Federal Role in Historic Preservation: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-22 · Reports · 18,632 words · PDF available
Several long-standing statutes have established a framework for federal historic preservation activities. The most comprehensive of these statutes is the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NH...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): History, Overview of Domestic Programs, and Selected Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-22 · Reports · 24,882 words
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic shined a spotlight on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of nine Public Health Service (PHS) agencies in the Department of Healt...
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Water Infrastructure Programs and FY2024 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-22 · Resources · 1,447 words · PDF available
Many policymakers and stakeholders have raised concerns about the condition of the nation’s local drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and the financial challenges that communities may confron...
NATO Enlargement to Sweden and Finland
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-22 · Posts · 1,039 words · PDF available
Sweden joined NATO on March 7, 2024, enlarging the alliance to 32 members (see Figure 1). Amid heightened security concerns about Russia after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, both Finland and S...
Bureau of Reclamation Provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-21 · Reports · 12,965 words · PDF available
In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; P.L. 117-58), Congress provided a major influx of funding for the Bureau of Reclamation (Rec...
Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-21 · Reports · 20,984 words · PDF available
This report provides a graphical overview of historical trends in discretionary budget authority (BA) from FY1977 through FY2023, preliminary estimates for FY2024 spending, and the levels reflecting t...
DOE Appropriations for Its Hydrogen Program: FY2024
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-21 · Resources · 1,539 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program addresses the development of applications that use hydrogen in place of today’s fuels to provide modern energy services. The program also considers...
Biden Administration Again Proposes Temporary Operating Assistance Authority for Larger Transit Agencies
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-21 · Posts · 993 words · PDF available
In the FY2025 budget, the Biden Administration again has proposed allowing larger public transportation agencies greater flexibility in the use of Urbanized Area Formula funds to cope with the larger ...
Pakistan’s 2024 National Election
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-21 · Posts · 1,033 words · PDF available
Overview Congress has taken interest in Pakistan’s democratization, viewing progress as important to U.S. interests including security cooperation and economic stability. In the 118th Congress, H.Res....
Where a Suit Can Proceed: Court Selection and Forum Shopping
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-21 · Posts · 3,247 words · PDF available
The past several years have seen court cases challenging high-profile government actions including environmental regulations, immigration policies, election administration, economic measures, and gove...
DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy FY2024 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-21 · Resources · 1,342 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is responsible for enabling renewable energy and end-use energy efficiency technology development and im...
DHS Border Barrier Funding Developments: FY2021-FY2024
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-20 · Reports · 9,523 words · PDF available
Appropriations law states that when budget authority is provided for a given purpose, the Administration must use it for that purpose. This can present a challenge when a new Administration’s prioriti...
Examining PFAS as Hazardous Substances
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-20 · Testimony · 10,500 words · PDF available
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The Labor Force Participation Rate
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-19 · Resources · 1,459 words · PDF available
This In Focus provides an introduction to the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR), a key measure of the labor market. It is the fraction of people who are engaged in the labor force, whether they ar...
Social Security Coverage of State and Local Government Employees
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-19 · Reports · 17,211 words · PDF available
Social Security is the single largest federal program in terms of the number of beneficiaries as well as budget. It pays cash benefits to over 67 million beneficiaries each month, and total benefit pa...
Updates to FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program Made by the “Individual Assistance Program Equity” Rulemaking
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-19 · Posts · 1,058 words · PDF available
On January 22, 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published an interim final rule (IFR) amending its regulations governing the Individual Assistance (IA) program—specifically the Ind...
The American Climate Corps
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-19 · Posts · 987 words · PDF available
On September 20, 2023, the Biden Administration announced the launch of a new American Climate Corps (ACC) initiative. The ACC is described as a “workforce training and service initiative” to provide ...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (March 11–March 17, 2024)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-18 · Posts · 2,002 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 Global Oil Tanker Market: An Overview as It Relates to Sanctions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-18 · Reports · 8,976 words · PDF available
Sanctions on oil transport from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela have drawn attention to the global oil tanker market and how it functions. The oil tanker market can be considered a resilient global indust...
Enforcement of Economic Sanctions: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-03-18 · Resources · 1,738 words · PDF available
The United States imposes economic restrictive measures (“economic sanctions”) on foreign states or non-state actors that engage in objectionable conduct. The sanctions may encompass individuals, sect...