Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA): When Does a Prior Drug Offense Qualify?
Introduction
It is a federal crime for a convicted felon, among others, to possess a firearm. Under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), the offense carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment w...
FY2024 Appropriations: Potential Effects of a Government Shutdown on Illustrative Agencies, Programs, and Activities
When federal agencies and programs lack funding after the expiration of full-year or interim appropriations, the agencies and programs experience a lapse in appropriations, also known as a “funding ga...
Growth in Electric Vehicle Manufacturing: A Factor in the 2023 United Auto Workers (UAW) Negotiations
The United Auto Workers (UAW) began a strike against the “Big Three” automakers—General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis—on September 15, 2023, following unsuccessful negotiations among the parties. ...
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA; P.L. 108-173) established a voluntary, outpatient prescription drug benefit under Medicare Part D, effective January 1,...
Statutory Inspectors General in the Federal Government: A Primer
This report provides an overview of statutory inspectors general (IGs) in the federal government, including their structure, functions, and related issues for Congress.
Statutory IGs—established by la...
S.Res. 444: Providing for En Bloc Consideration of Military Nominations
On October 31, 2023, Senator Jack Reed, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, submitted S.Res. 444, a resolution proposing a temporary process to allow the Senate to consider more than one mil...
Expulsion of Members of Congress: Legal Authority and Historical Practice
The U.S. Constitution expressly grants each house of Congress the power to “punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.” Expulsion is the proc...
Lead Service Lines (LSLs) Replacement: Funding Developments
Lead’s adverse health effects, particularly on children’s development, have continued to generate interest in reducing exposures to lead through drinking water. Various efforts, such as the regulation...
Third Circuit Holds that Application of Felon-in-Possession Ban Violates the Second Amendment, Creating Circuit Split
In Range v. Attorney General, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (Third Circuit), sitting en banc, struck down an application of a federal statutory provision—commonly referred to as the ...
Corporate Taxation: Profit Shifting, Transfer Pricing, and Cost Sharing
Recent events have highlighted the issue of corporate profit shifting using transfer pricing and cost sharing methods. In its October 11, 2023, 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, ...
NetChoice v. Bonta and First Amendment Limits on Protecting Children Online
On September 18, 2023, in NetChoice v. Bonta, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California preliminarily enjoined enforcement of the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (CAAD...