NIST Update on Champlain Towers Collapse Investigation
Overview
On June 24, 2021, part of the Champlain Towers South, a 12-story residential building, collapsed in Surfside, FL, killing 98 people. On June 25, the National Institute of Standards and Techno...
The Federal Communications Commission’s Spectrum Auction Authority: History and Options for Reinstatement
Radio spectrum (“spectrum”) is the continuum of frequencies used to provide wireless services, such as radio broadcasting, mobile communications, and satellite services. It is a finite and valuable re...
Naloxone for Opioid Overdose: Considerations for Congress
Opioids, such as heroin, fentanyl, and some prescription pain medications (including morphine and oxycodone), are substances that act on receptors in the body important in regulating pain and emotion....
Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and FIU Operational Independence
As Congress considers anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) policy options, one factor may include their effect on Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) “operational in...
Export Controls—International Coordination: Issues for Congress
Since the 1940s, the United States has maintained a regime of peacetime controls on exports for national security, foreign policy, and economic purposes. During that time, Congress has increasingly em...
Overview of Selected No Surprises Act Litigation
The No Surprises Act (NSA), part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260), established various consumer protections related to surprise billing—i.e., circumstances where individuals...
Federal Student Loans: Return to Repayment
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, since March 2020, the accrual of interest, monthly payments, and involuntary collections have been paused on most federal student loans. The Fiscal Responsibility...
Supreme Court Narrows Dormant Commerce Clause and Upholds State Animal Welfare Law
On May 11, 2023, the Supreme Court upheld a California rule (Proposition 12) banning the in-state sale of whole pork meat from pigs that had been “confined in a cruel manner,” even if those pigs were ...
Infrastructure Codes, Standards, and Regulations: Frequently Asked Questions
Ensuring the safe operation of and uninterrupted services provided by infrastructure, as well as resiliency, efficiency, environmental protection, and other aspects of infrastructure performance, may ...
Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program
The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program is the primary federal program that focuses exclusively on home visiting. The program seeks to provide and strengthen home visi...
Federal Policies to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L. 117-58). This broad infrastructure law addresses a range of issues. To expand the national network o...
The UPS-Teamsters Labor Dispute and Taft-Hartley’s National Emergency Provisions
Introduction
On August 22, 2023, United Parcel Service (UPS) package delivery drivers and warehouse logistics workers, who are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, voted to ratif...