Policy Library

7,020 documents

Antitrust Agencies Release Draft Merger Guidelines and Propose HSR Rule Changes
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-24 · Posts · 2,768 words · PDF available
On July 19, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (the Agencies) jointly released draft Merger Guidelines (Draft Guidelines) for public comment. If adopted, the ...
Project AWARE
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-23 · Resources · 1,325 words · PDF available
Background Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) is a school-based mental health grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (S...
Law Enforcement and Technology: Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-22 · Reports · 5,203 words · PDF available
Alongside growth in the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, for both commercial and recreational purposes, law enforcement agencies’ use of this technology has been...
Financial Institution Insolvency and the Federal Response to the Regional Bank Failures of 2023
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-21 · Reports · 11,686 words · PDF available
Three high-profile regional banks collapsed suddenly in the United States during the first half of 2023. On March 10, 2023, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (California...
China Primer: South China Sea Disputes
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-21 · Resources · 1,614 words · PDF available
Overview Multiple Asian governments assert sovereignty over rocks, reefs, and other geographic features in the heavily trafficked South China Sea (SCS), with the People’s Republic of China (PRC or Chi...
Public Corruption and the Limits of Federal Fraud Statutes
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-21 · Posts · 2,314 words · PDF available
Over time, Congress has shown consistent interest in policing public-sector corruption, enacting a number of criminal provisions aimed at holding corrupt officials and those who entice them accountabl...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (August 14, 2023–August 20, 2023)
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-21 · Posts · 2,346 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 Individual Income Tax, 2023
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-18 · Infographics · 673 words · PDF available
/ The Individual Income Tax, 2023 How Income Tax Liability Is Calculated for Individuals, Families, and Passthrough Businesses taxable income + positive income tax liability investment income long-ter...
Brunei Darussalam
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-18 · Resources · 1,465 words · PDF available
The State of Brunei Darussalam (Brunei) is located on the northwest coast of the Island of Borneo, and is bordered and bifurcated by eastern Malaysia. Brunei has a land mass of 2,226 square miles (sli...
Supreme Court Limits States’ Ability to Challenge Immigration Enforcement Policies
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-18 · Posts · 2,746 words · PDF available
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is one of the key agencies responsible for the enforcement of federal immigration laws against aliens who lack a legal basis to remain in the United States. C...
Outreach for Socially Disadvantaged Producers (2501 Program)
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-18 · Resources · 1,598 words · PDF available
The 2018 farm bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334) reauthorized and expanded support for socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers (SDFRs) within programs administered by the U.S....
SBA’s Women-Owned Small Business Contracting Program
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-18 · Resources · 1,511 words · PDF available
Program Background The Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program is designed to provide greater access to federal contracts for WOSBs, inclu...
FDA’s Oversight of Hemp-Derived Compounds
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-18 · Resources · 1,737 words · PDF available
In January 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement that the agency would “work with Congress” to develop “a new regulatory pathway” for cannabidiol (CBD), a hemp-based cannabin...
The Orphan Drug Act and Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., v. Becerra
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Reports · 10,194 words · PDF available
Orphan drugs are used to treat rare diseases and conditions, but they can be costly to produce and are generally used to treat fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. In 1983, Congress enacted...
Immigration Options for Immigration Parolees
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Reports · 5,987 words · PDF available
Since 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has granted immigration parole through special initiatives to more than 350,000 persons from Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Ukraine, and Ven...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Federal Election Campaigns: Legal Background and Constitutional Considerations for Legislation
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Resources · 1,745 words · PDF available
Introduction Federal campaign finance law does not specifically regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in political campaign advertising. As technology continues to evolve, concerns have gro...
Online Age Verification (Part II): Constitutional Background
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Posts · 1,522 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the second installment in a three-part series on efforts to require online services to verify the ages of their users. Part I discussed the common elements of online age verifica...
Online Age Verification (Part III): Select Constitutional Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Posts · 2,350 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the third installment in a three-part series on efforts to require online services to verify the ages of their users. Part I provided an overview of elements common in age verifi...
Mountain Valley Pipeline Litigation Tests Congress’s Power to Limit Federal Court Jurisdiction
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Posts · 1,925 words · PDF available
The Mountain Valley Pipeline (Pipeline), currently under construction, is planned as a 303-mile natural gas transmission pipeline that would link natural gas fields in West Virginia to the existing Tr...
Online Age Verification (Part I): Current Context
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Posts · 1,448 words · PDF available
For almost as long as the internet has existed, journalists and lawmakers have sounded alarms over children’s ability to access harmful material online. The targeted material has expanded over the yea...
Foreign Students: Screening and Monitoring
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Infographics · 328 words · PDF available
/ Foreign Students: Screening and Monitoring There were about 1.3 million foreign post-secondary students and scholars in the United States in 2022, and about 7,500 post-secondary U.S. schools were ap...
Fire Management Assistance Grants: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-17 · Reports · 4,171 words · PDF available
Section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288, hereinafter the Stafford Act) authorizes the President to “declare” a Fire Management Assistance Grant ...
Air Quality: EPA’s 2023 Proposed Changes to the Particulate Matter (PM) Standard
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-16 · Reports · 13,863 words · PDF available
The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue national ambient (outdoor) air quality criteria (standards) for certain listed pollutants and then review those...
The Georgia Indictment of Former President Trump: A Snapshot
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-16 · Posts · 475 words · PDF available
On August 14, 2023, a Georgia grand jury returned a multi-count indictment charging former President Donald Trump and others working on his behalf with engaging in an enterprise designed to overturn t...
Social Security: Future Financial Status and Accuracy of Projections
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-16 · Reports · 11,786 words · PDF available
The Social Security program is facing a projected financial shortfall. Under the Social Security Board of Trustees’ intermediate assumptions—their best guess as to the future experience—the program wi...
Sources for Frequently Requested Foreclosure Statistics
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-16 · Reports · 1,942 words · PDF available
This report describes selected resources that provide data on single-family mortgage loan performance, including foreclosure activity and delinquent loans. Sources include government surveys, administ...
PREVENT Pandemics Act (P.L. 117-328, Division FF, Title II)
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-15 · Reports · 27,362 words · PDF available
The Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act) was enacted on December 29, 2022, as a part of Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY2023 ...
Terrorist Material Support: An Overview of 18 U.S.C. § 2339A and § 2339B
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-15 · Reports · 22,282 words · PDF available
The material support statutes, 18 U.S.C. § 2339A and § 2339B, have been among the most frequently prosecuted federal anti-terrorism statutes. Section 2339A outlaws: (1) whoever (2) [knowingly] (3)(a...
Terrorist Material Support: A Sketch of 18 U.S.C. § 2339A and § 2339B
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-15 · Reports · 4,978 words · PDF available
The material support statutes, 18 U.S.C. § 2339A and § 2339B, have been among the most frequently prosecuted federal anti-terrorism statutes. Section 2339A outlaws: (1) whoever (2) [knowingly] (3)(a...
August 2023 Wildfires in Hawaii
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-14 · Posts · 1,043 words · PDF available
Impacts of August Wildfires Due to dry and windy conditions, several damaging wildfires spread on the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Hawaii starting on August 8, 2023 (Figure 1). On August 10, the affec...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (August 7, 2023–August 11, 2023)
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-14 · Posts · 2,618 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...
Procedures for Declassifying Intelligence of Public Interest
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-10 · Resources · 1,603 words · PDF available
The classification regime exists as a means of safeguarding sensitive intelligence sources and methods, or other kinds of sensitive national security information that is relevant to the national secur...
How to Develop and Write a Grant Proposal
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-10 · Reports · 6,970 words · PDF available
This report is intended for Members and congressional staff assisting grantseekers in districts and states, and covers writing proposals for both government and private foundation grants. In preparati...
Tax Proposals and the PGA Tour-LIV Golf Merger
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-09 · Resources · 1,308 words · PDF available
In June 2023, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf announced a planned merger. The PGA Tour is the world’s largest professional golf league, while LIV Golf is a newer league financed by the Saudi Arabia Public I...
Medicare Secondary Payer: Coordination of Benefits
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-09 · Reports · 18,284 words
Medicare is a federal program that covers medical services for qualified beneficiaries. Established in 1965 to provide health insurance to individuals age 65 and older, Medicare has been expanded to i...
DHS’s Cybersecurity Mission—An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-09 · Resources · 1,558 words · PDF available
After a cyberattack, much attention is paid to who the responsible party could be. But helping organizations protect themselves, respond to and recover from incidents is vital to the resiliency of the...
Deferred Maintenance of Federal Land Management Agencies: FY2013-FY2022 Estimates and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-08 · Reports · 10,181 words · PDF available
Each of the four major federal land management agencies maintains tens of thousands of diverse assets, including roads, bridges, buildings, and water management structures. These agencies are the Bure...
Family Office Regulation in Light of the Archegos Fallout
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-08 · Resources · 1,685 words · PDF available
In late March 2021, Archegos Capital Management and its investment bank financiers started liquidating huge stock positions, causing significant turbulence in capital markets. The stock sell-offs led ...
Short Selling: Background and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-08 · Resources · 1,645 words · PDF available
Short selling generally involves the sale of a stock that the seller does not own (and instead borrows and must return at a later date) with an intent to profit if the stock declines in value. The pra...
The Bahamas: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-08 · Resources · 1,512 words · PDF available
Political Environment The Bahamas, a Caribbean nation of some 700 islands off the southeast coast of the United States, has been a stable parliamentary democracy since its independence from the United...
Protection of Undersea Telecommunication Cables: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-07 · Reports · 28,351 words · PDF available
Commercial undersea telecommunication cables carry about 99% of transoceanic digital communications (e.g., voice, data, internet), including financial transactions. Individual private companies and co...
Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (July 31, 2023–August 6, 2023)
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-07 · Posts · 3,126 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...
China and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-04 · Resources · 1,634 words · PDF available
The People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) has been expanding its diplomatic, economic, and security ties with countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region since the late 1990s. As i...
Supreme Court Rules Bankruptcy Code Abrogates Tribal Sovereign Immunity
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-04 · Posts · 1,888 words · PDF available
On June 15, 2023, the Supreme Court decided Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Coughlin (Lac du Flambeau). The case involved a dispute over lifting an automatic stay in a Chapte...
Artificial Intelligence: Overview, Recent Advances, and Considerations for the 118th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-04 · Reports · 7,022 words · PDF available
Artificial intelligence (AI)—a term generally thought of as computerized systems that work and react in ways commonly thought to require intelligence—can encompass a range of technologies, methodologi...
USDA’s SECURE Rule to Regulate Agricultural Biotechnology
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-04 · Resources · 1,641 words · PDF available
In May 2020, citing 30 years of evidence, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a final rule to revise its regulation of certain genetically engineered (GE) plants and other organisms (8...
Independence of Federal Financial Regulators: Structure, Funding, and Other Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-03 · Reports · 17,676 words · PDF available
Conventional wisdom regarding regulators is that the structure and design of the organization matters for policy outcomes. Financial regulators conduct rulemaking and enforcement to implement law and ...
Guam: Defense Infrastructure and Readiness
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-03 · Reports · 18,137 words · PDF available
Guam is the westernmost U.S. territory in the Indo-Pacific region and is home to about 170,000 U.S. citizens. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) owns about 25% of the land on Guam and maintains a fo...
Overview of the Indictment of Former President Trump Related to the 2020 Election
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-03 · Posts · 2,416 words · PDF available
On August 1, 2023, Special Counsel Jack Smith announced that former President Trump had been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia. The four-count indictment alleges that the fo...
Energy Leasing and Agreement Authorities on Tribal Lands: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2023-08-02 · Reports · 3,136 words · PDF available
Congress has enacted many authorities for leasing and agreements that enable energy production on tribal lands. Various statutes require that the Secretary of the Interior approve tribal leases or agr...