Sheetz v. County of El Dorado: The Court Explores Legislative Exactions and the Takings Clause
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...
Legacy Lead-Sheathed Telecommunications Cables: Status and Issues for Congress
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...
Federal Funding for Broadband Deployment: Agencies and Considerations for Congress
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 Jackson-Vanik Amendment and Permanent Normal Trade Relations
Overview
Section 402 of the Trade Act of 1974 (“the Act,” 19 U.S.C. § 2432), commonly known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment, denies normal trade relations (NTR) status to some current and former nonmar...
U.S. Gulf Oil & Natural Gas Assets and Infrastructure
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Information as of December 19, 2023, prepared by Michael Ratner, Specialist in Energy Policy; Mari Lee, Visual Information Specialist; Cassandra Higgins,
Geospatial Information Systems Analyst; Eva ...
Russia’s War Against Ukraine: Overview of U.S. Assistance and Sanctions
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a new war against Ukraine, a country Russia first invaded in 2014 and has partially occupied for almost a decade. The United States, member states of NATO and the...
The Presidential Records Act: An Overview
Presidential records provide Congress, members of the public, and researchers with documentation, context, and explanations for presidential actions. The Presidential Records Act (PRA; 44 U.S.C. §§220...
The National Spectrum Strategy for Wireless Technologies: Priorities, Objectives, and Congressional Considerations
Most wireless technologies and services, including mobile communications, radionavigation systems, radar systems, satellites, and radio and television broadcasting, rely on a range of radiofrequency s...
Impeachment Investigations, Part II: Access
On December 13, 2023, the House directed a trio of House committees to “continue their ongoing investigations ... into whether sufficient grounds exist” to impeach President Joe Biden. The inquiry, wh...
Is Climate Change Influencing Wildfires? Climate Change Effects on Wildfires in the United States
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), climate change-driven increases in temperature, drought, and atmospheric drying have led to an increase in wildfire risk and wi...
How the Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 Could Affect Consumers, Merchants, and Banks
When a consumer makes a payment with a credit card, a small portion of the transaction is used to compensate the merchant’s bank, the payment processors, the payment network, and the consumer’s bank—e...
Growth of the Tax-Exempt Sector and the Impact on the American Political Landscape
tax-exempt organizations, Section 501(c)(3) organizations, Section 501(c)(4) organizations, tax-deductible charitable contributions, lobbying, electioneering, Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993
The AI Executive Order and Its Potential Implications for DOD
On October 20, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order (E.O.) on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (E.O. 14110). The order provides guidance on s...
Arellano v. McDonough: Veterans Disability Benefits and Equitable Tolling
On January 23, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Arellano v. McDonough. The case involved a U.S. Navy veteran, Adolfo Arellano, with a service-connected psychiatric disability resulting from an inc...
Nuclear Negotiations with North Korea
Since the late 1980s, when U.S. officials became aware that North Korea was actively pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities, U.S. administrations have used a combination of pressure, deterrence, and di...