Policy Library

6,587 documents

Digital Accessibility: Agencies Receive New Guidance from OMB
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-11 · Posts · 1,036 words · PDF available
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued guidance to agencies on making websites and digital services accessible to persons with disabilities. OMB’s guidance includes information provided ...
Federal Traffic Safety Programs: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-11 · Reports · 6,512 words · PDF available
In 2021, almost 43,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes, and approximately 2.5 million were injured. This marked the highest number of roadway fatalities in the United States since 2005. The estim...
The Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) in FY2024: Current Status
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-10 · Posts · 1,002 words · PDF available
Spending Limits The Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA, P.L. 118-5), enacted in June 2023, temporarily suspended the debt limit and established statutory discretionary spending limits for FY2024 and FY202...
Abolishing a Federal Agency: The Interstate Commerce Commission
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-10 · Reports · 16,468 words · PDF available
Congress has, from time to time, enacted legislation to discontinue a federal agency and either redistribute or discontinue its functions. Abolishment of an agency or its functions has often been poli...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (January 1–January 7, 2024)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-09 · Posts · 2,069 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...
Five-Year Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program: History and Background
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-09 · Reports · 6,738 words · PDF available
Under Section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, as amended (OCSLA; 43 U.S.C. §§1331-1356b), the Secretary of the Interior must prepare and maintain forward-looking plans—typically referred ...
Farm Bill Primer: Forestry Title
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-09 · Resources · 1,269 words · PDF available
Forest management generally, as well as forest research and forestry assistance, is within the jurisdiction of the agriculture committees in Congress. Although most forestry programs are permanently a...
Supreme Court Considers Scope of Congress’s Sixteenth Amendment Income Taxing Power in Moore v. United States
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Posts · 2,034 words · PDF available
On December 9, 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Moore v. United States, an appeal challenging a one-time “Mandatory Repatriation Tax” (MRT) on U.S. shareholders of a foreign corporation ...
FY2024 NDAA: Defense Industrial Base Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Posts · 2,289 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...
Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2023: Overview and Selected Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Reports · 12,983 words · PDF available
The annual Department of Defense appropriations act provides discretionary funding for nearly all military-related activities of the Department of Defense (DOD) except the construction of facilities a...
Department of the Interior Law Enforcement Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Resources · 1,642 words · PDF available
Overview The Department of the Interior (DOI) employs law enforcement officers (LEOs) for a variety of purposes including fostering public safety, protecting natural and cultural resources, and enforc...
Temporary Commemorations on Federal Land in the District of Columbia
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Resources · 1,190 words · PDF available
The District of Columbia, especially the area around the National Mall, is widely known for its monuments and memorials. These permanent commemorative works, which are located on federal land, honor t...
Points of Order in the Congressional Budget Process
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Reports · 7,505 words · PDF available
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Titles I-IX of P.L. 93-344, as amended) created an annual process that allows Congress to establish and enforce parameters for budgetary legislation. Budgetary de...
Prevention and Public Health Fund: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Reports · 4,804 words · PDF available
In 2010, Section 4002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA. P.L. 111-148, as amended) established a new Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF). Prior to enactment, public health ad...
An Introduction to Section 337 Intellectual Property Litigation at the U.S. International Trade Commission
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Resources · 1,766 words · PDF available
In recent decades, parties asserting patent infringement and other intellectual property (IP) claims have increasingly looked to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) as a fast-paced forum wit...
Temporarily Filling Presidentially Appointed, Senate-Confirmed Positions
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Reports · 6,199 words · PDF available
A vacant presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position (advice and consent position) can be filled temporarily under one of several authorities that do not require going through the Senate confi...
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-08 · Reports · 4,467 words · PDF available
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) provides cash benefits to certain persons whose health may have been affected by exposure to debris or toxic substances in the aftermath of the Septem...
India’s Economy: Overview and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-05 · Resources · 1,814 words · PDF available
India’s economy—its current performance and potential—attracts significant U.S. commercial attention. Since 2000, U.S. Administrations and Congresses have sought to deepen U.S. economic ties with Indi...
Selected Recent Actions Involving Foreign Ownership and Investment in U.S. Food and Agriculture: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-05 · Reports · 3,999 words · PDF available
The 118th Congress has continued to debate the appropriate role of foreign ownership and investment in the U.S. food and agriculture sector. Some in Congress view foreign ownership and investment in t...
The Marine Mammal Protection Act (P.L. 92522): Primer and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-05 · Reports · 16,856 words · PDF available
Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1972 (P.L. 92-522; 16 U.S.C. §§1361-1423h) to conserve marine mammal populations and protect them from extinction or depletion as a result of...
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-05 · Resources · 1,382 words · PDF available
In 1938, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (22 U.S.C. §§611-621; FARA) was enacted to require individuals doing political or advocacy work on behalf of foreign entities in the United States to regis...
Private Bills: Procedure in the House
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-05 · Reports · 1,200 words · PDF available
A private bill is one that provides benefits to specified individuals (including corporate bodies). Individuals sometimes request relief through private law when administrative or legal remedies are e...
Section 230: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-04 · Reports · 35,292 words · PDF available
Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, enacted as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, provides limited federal immunity to providers and users of interactive computer services. The...
Electricity Transmission Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law P.L. 117-169, commonly known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). The IRA contains several provisions aimed at incentivizing increased deve...
FY2024 NDAA: Status of Legislative Activity
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-04 · Posts · 1,021 words · PDF available
By law (31 U.S.C. §1105(a)), the President is to send the annual federal budget request to Congress by the first Monday in February. In practice, Presidents sometimes send it later. On March 9, 2023, ...
U.S. District Court Nominees Confirmed During the First Three Years of the Biden Presidency: Overview and Analysis
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-04 · Posts · 1,066 words · PDF available
This Insight provides statistics related to the nomination and confirmation of U.S. district court nominees during the first three years of the Biden presidency. This Insight also provides comparative...
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): A Primer
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-03 · Reports · 8,295 words · PDF available
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established in 1958 by the National Aeronautics and Space Act (P.L. 85-568) to conduct civilian space and aeronautics activities. According...
DOE’s Proposed Regulation on Electricity Distribution Transformers
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-03 · Posts · 1,013 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regulates the energy efficiency of electricity distribution transformers using authority under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (P.L. 94-163), as amended. DOE...
Selected Outcomes of COP28: Agriculture and Food Systems
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-03 · Posts · 699 words · PDF available
The 2023 Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its subsidiary agreement, the Paris Agreement, took place in Dubai, United Arab Emi...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (December 26, 2023–January 1, 2024)
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-02 · Posts · 860 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...
FY2024 NDAA: Military Child Care Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-02 · Posts · 1,233 words · PDF available
Background The Department of Defense (DOD) operates the largest employer-sponsored child care program in the United States, serving approximately 200,000 children of servicemembers and DOD civilians. ...
FY2024 NDAA: Military Spouse Employment Matters
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-02 · Posts · 1,102 words · PDF available
Background The Department of Defense (DOD) provides certain benefits and services to military servicemember spouses as part of broader quality of life programs to support recruitment and retention. Th...
Regulating Gender in School Sports: An Overview of Legal Challenges to State Laws
Congressional Research Service · 2024-01-02 · Posts · 3,365 words · PDF available
Public debate over the participation of transgender women in women’s sports has proliferated in recent years, raising questions of fairness in contexts ranging from the Olympics to elementary school s...
Understanding and Conceptualizing Domestic Terrorism: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-29 · Reports · 14,087 words · PDF available
The federal government defines domestic terrorism (DT) as ideologically driven crimes committed by individuals in the United States that are intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or i...
FY2024 NDAA: Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Matters
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-29 · Posts · 1,284 words · PDF available
Background The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is a congressionally mandated and funded Department of Defense (DOD) program of instruction with participation of approximately 500,000 s...
FY2024 NDAA: Summary of Funding Authorizations
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-29 · Posts · 1,409 words · PDF available
Of the $910.8 billion requested in the FY2024 President’s budget for activities within the national defense budget function, $874.2 billion fell within the scope of the proposed National Defense Autho...
Supreme Court to Consider Scope of Federal Arbitration Act’s Exemption for Transportation Workers
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-28 · Posts · 1,665 words · PDF available
The Supreme Court recently granted certiorari in Bissonnette v. LePage Bakeries Park St., LLC, a case involving the Federal Arbitration Act’s exemption for interstate transportation workers. Although ...
Section 230 Immunity and Generative Artificial Intelligence
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-28 · Posts · 3,231 words · PDF available
Over the past year, technology companies have expanded access to services capable of creating content using artificial intelligence (AI). In February 2023, Microsoft announced an “all new, AI-powered ...
Animal Use in Federal Biomedical Research: A Policy Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-28 · Resources · 1,706 words · PDF available
Animals commonly are used in federally funded biomedical research for a number of reasons—for example, to better understand the biology of disease or to test the safety and efficacy of medical product...
Sheetz v. County of El Dorado: The Court Explores Legislative Exactions and the Takings Clause
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-27 · Posts · 2,402 words · PDF available
On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argument in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado. The dispute in this case centers around an “exaction,” which is a government-imposed req...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (December 18–December 25, 2023)
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-26 · Posts · 1,131 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...
Legacy Lead-Sheathed Telecommunications Cables: Status and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-26 · Resources · 1,794 words · PDF available
From the late 1800s through the 1950s, telecommunications companies hung, buried, or placed under water extensive networks of cables containing lead sheathscasing that protects the wiresthroughout the...
Agency Nonacquiescence: An Overview of Constitutional and Practical Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-26 · Reports · 15,181 words · PDF available
When Congress delegates the power to regulate to a federal agency, it often also provides for judicial review of that agency’s actions. Reviewing courts are generally empowered to “set aside” agency a...
Federal Funding for Broadband Deployment: Agencies and Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-26 · Reports · 10,300 words · PDF available
Access to high-speed internet, also known as broadband, has been a particular concern of many in Congress. Broadband is deployed throughout the United States, primarily by the private sector, and is a...
The First Prosecution Under the War Crimes Act: Overview and International Legal Context
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-22 · Posts · 2,159 words · PDF available
On December 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) brought an indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against four members of the Russian armed forces or alli...
Committee Discretion in Obtaining Witness Testimony
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-22 · Posts · 2,324 words · PDF available
Early in December 2023, Hunter Biden, son of President Biden, refused to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Committees on Oversight and Accountability and the Judiciary (the Committees) seekin...
Alleged Indian Role in Transnational Assassination Plots
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-22 · Posts · 1,029 words · PDF available
The U.S. and Canadian governments have alleged an official Indian role in assassination plots in North America. These developments could affect the tenor and trajectory of the U.S.-India partnership a...
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): An Introduction
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-22 · Resources · 1,590 words · PDF available
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), codified at 5 U.S.C. § 552, provides the public a right to access federal agency information. Subject to enumerated exemptions and exclusions, agencies must disc...
Local Fiscal Effects of Disasters
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-21 · Resources · 1,614 words · PDF available
In addition to potential loss of life and property, natural disasters and other emergencies can cause negative fiscal consequences for local governments. This can occur for a number of reasons. For ex...
Permanent Employment-Based Immigration: Labor Certification and Schedule A
Congressional Research Service · 2023-12-20 · Resources · 1,566 words · PDF available
In recent years, U.S. employers have reported widespread shortages of workers in various occupations. These reported labor shortages reinforce long-standing concerns about U.S. international competiti...