Policy Library

6,587 documents

The National Security Council: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-19 · Reports · 10,468 words · PDF available
On February 4, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed National Security Memorandum (NSM)-2, Renewing the National Security Council System. In it, the Biden Administration articulates how it intends to...
Net Neutrality Law: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-18 · Reports · 12,168 words · PDF available
While there is general support for the basic concept of the open internet, net neutrality has been a perennially difficult subject for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission). The co...
Immigration: Public Charge 2022 Final Rule
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-18 · Posts · 987 words · PDF available
Under federal immigration law, a noncitizen (alien) who is likely to become a public charge is deemed inadmissible, or ineligible to be admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident (LP...
Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2023 (Division A of P.L. 117-180)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-18 · Reports · 10,463 words · PDF available
This report provides an analysis of the continuing appropriations provisions included in the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2023 (Division A of P.L. 117-180). On September 30, 2022, the President sign...
Flooding: Selected Federal Assistance and Programs to Reduce Risk
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-18 · Reports · 24,677 words · PDF available
Recent flood disasters and concerns about future flood risks have raised congressional and public interest in communities’ ability to adapt to, withstand, and recover rapidly from floods. Federal prog...
Issues in Law Enforcement Reform: Responding to Mental Health Crises
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-17 · Reports · 17,882 words · PDF available
The manner in which police have handled mental health-related encounters has come under increased scrutiny during the last few decades, especially regarding the use of force. Through hearings and legi...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Annual Appropriations Process
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-17 · Reports · 5,998 words · PDF available
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is an agency within the Department of Defense with both military and civil works responsibilities. The agency’s civil works activities consist largely of the p...
LGBTQ Pride Month: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-17 · Reports · 1,029 words · PDF available
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month, which is observed during the month of June, celebrates the achievements of the LGBTQ community and recognizes the historical and cult...
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-17 · Resources · 1,714 words · PDF available
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a trade agreement, signed in late 2020 after eight years of talks, among the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)...
Overview of the 340B Drug Discount Program
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-14 · Resources · 1,691 words · PDF available
Congress created the 340B Drug Discount Program (340B) in 1992 through the Veteran’s Health Care Act (P.L. 102-585) to enable health care providers that serve low-income and uninsured patients to purc...
Social Security: Scheduled Versus Payable Benefits
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-14 · Resources · 1,431 words · PDF available
Background Social Security is a self-financing program that, in 2022, covers approximately 182 million workers and provides monthly cash benefits to over 65 million beneficiaries. Social Security is c...
Opening the Floodgates? Federal Circuit Lets Claims Proceed Against Corps of Engineers for Hurricane-Related Flooding
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-13 · Posts · 2,561 words · PDF available
Can private property owners make the United States government pay for flood damage to their land during a natural disaster where the United States has undertaken activities to reduce flood risks? The ...
Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-13 · Reports · 9,657 words · PDF available
As of October 12, 2022, 151 women are serving in the 117th Congress. There are 127 women serving in the House (including 3 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner), 93 Democrats and 34 Republicans. Th...
Forfeiture Trail for Russian Oligarchs’ Luxury Assets
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-13 · Posts · 537 words · PDF available
The Justice Department recently announced issuance of seizure warrants for a luxury yacht and airplanes located in various foreign countries and owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs. The warrants ant...
Courts Evaluate the Role of Contract Pharmacies in the 340B Drug Discount Program
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-13 · Posts · 2,253 words · PDF available
Congress created the 340B Drug Discount Program (340B) in 1992 through the Veteran’s Health Care Act (P.L. 102-585) to enable safety net providers (those that provide health care services to “uninsure...
Women in Congress, 1917-2022: Service Dates and Committee Assignments by Member, and Lists by State and Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-13 · Reports · 35,360 words
In total 400 women have been elected or appointed to Congress, 260 Democrats and 140 Republicans. These figures include six nonvoting Delegates, one each from Guam, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, a...
Wilderness: Issues and Legislation
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-12 · Reports · 10,210 words · PDF available
The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System and, in it, Congress reserved for itself the authority to designate federal lands as part of the system. As of Septem...
Ranked-Choice Voting: Legal Challenges and Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-12 · Posts · 1,953 words · PDF available
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is an alternative voting system that allows voters to rank multiple candidates on a ballot in order of preference. RCV has been adopted in at least 50 jurisdictions across t...
FTC Considers Adopting Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Rules
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-12 · Posts · 2,536 words · PDF available
On August 11, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) announcing that the agency is considering enacting new regulations on “commercial survei...
The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-12 · Resources · 1,569 words · PDF available
The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson; 16 U.S.C. §§669 et seq.), initially enacted in 1937 as the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (50 Stat. 917), provides funding f...
Reserve Funds in the Congressional Budget Process: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-12 · Reports · 2,921 words · PDF available
Reserve funds authorize the chair of the Budget Committee to revise the budgetary levels agreed to in the budget resolution in order to accommodate certain policies or legislation. A reserve fund prov...
Data Protection and Privacy Law: An Introduction
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-12 · Resources · 1,608 words · PDF available
Recent controversy surrounding how third parties protect the privacy of individuals in the digital age has raised national concerns over legal protections of Americans’ electronic data. The current le...
Environmental, Social and Governance Funds: SEC-Proposed Disclosure Reform
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-12 · Resources · 1,672 words · PDF available
On May 25, 2022, citing concerns over lack of consistent, comparable, and reliable investor disclosures regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) fund and ESG investment adviser strategies...
Bankruptcy Basics: A Primer
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-12 · Reports · 20,517 words · PDF available
U.S. bankruptcy law has two central aims. First, it seeks to relieve debtors of certain financial obligations they are unable to satisfy by providing them with a “fresh start” from those difficulties....
Courts Clarify Federal Railroad Safety Act Employee Protection for “Good Faith” Safety Reports
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-11 · Posts · 2,192 words · PDF available
The Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) contains several provisions that prohibit railroads from punishing an employee for engaging in certain protected activities, including reporting safety hazards, ...
The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Brief Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-11 · Resources · 1,706 words · PDF available
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq., prohibits disability discrimination in many areas of life, from work to public services to commercial business. With some excepti...
COVID-19 Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 2022: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-07 · Reports · 3,927 words · PDF available
[Summary suppressed.] Since March 2020, more than $400 billion has been appropriated for the domestic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health response to Department of Health and Human Servi...
The Department of Energy’s Appliance and Equipment Standards Program: Prioritization Options for Addressing the Rulemaking Backlog
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-07 · Reports · 11,050 words · PDF available
Since its inception, the Department of Energy (DOE) has administered programs for reducing energy consumption by influencing consumer choice and improving technology. Starting in 1975, Congress author...
Inflation in the U.S. Economy: Causes and Policy Options
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-06 · Reports · 20,433 words
The Federal Reserve (Fed) defines stable prices to be inflation (the general rise in the price of goods and services) of 2% annually. After decades of low inflation, inflation has been above the Fed’s...
Environmental, Social, and Governance Funds: SEC Proposed Names Rule Reform
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-06 · Resources · 1,603 words · PDF available
On May 25, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioners voted 3-1 to officially propose amendments to its “Names Rule” governing certain investment fund names. The proposed rulemak...
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks in U.S. Agriculture
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-06 · Resources · 1,399 words · PDF available
Agriculture and land-use activities continue to play a central role in the broader debate about energy and climate policy options in the United States and abroad. Such activities offer opportunities t...
White House Initiative to Advance the Bioeconomy, E.O. 14081: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-05 · Reports · 4,249 words · PDF available
The bioeconomy is the portion of the economy based on products, services, and processes derived from biological resources (e.g., plants and microorganisms). According to the McKinsey Global Institute,...
Medication Abortion: A Changing Legal Landscape
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-05 · Posts · 1,919 words · PDF available
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, questions have been raised about continued access to medication abortion, a pregnancy termination method involvi...
Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-05 · Reports · 13,427 words
Carbon capture and storage (or sequestration)—known as CCS—is a process intended to capture man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) at its source and store it permanently underground. As one potential option fo...
Patents and Innovation Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-03 · Reports · 10,819 words · PDF available
Encouraging scientific and technological innovation and U.S. economic competitiveness has been a long-standing interest of Congress and other federal policymakers. Motivated by the widely held view th...
Manufacturing USA: Advanced Manufacturing Institutes and Network
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-03 · Reports · 13,746 words · PDF available
Congress maintains a strong interest in the health of U.S. manufacturing due to its central role in the U.S. economy and national defense. Manufacturing USA is a network of institutes focused on facil...
Ecosystem Restoration in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Overview and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-03 · Reports · 12,207 words · PDF available
Congressional interest in ecosystem restoration focuses on federal activities for specific geographic regions, such as the Everglades, Chesapeake Bay, and the Great Lakes, as well as federal restorati...
Single-Family Market Rents and Institutional Investors
Congressional Research Service · 2022-10-03 · Resources · 1,783 words · PDF available
Rent increases for single-family (SF) detached residential property units accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The market demand and supply trends contributing to rising rents—and particularly th...
An Analysis of the Tax Treatment of Capital Losses
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-30 · Reports · 6,276 words
One reason for increasing the net capital loss limit against ordinary income is to restore the value of the loss limitation to its 1978 level. Under current law, long-term and short-term losses are ne...
Batson v. Kentucky and Federal Peremptory Challenge Law
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-30 · Reports · 12,978 words · PDF available
Parties in federal court—whether in civil or criminal trials—have two options to challenge potential jurors during jury selection: challenges for cause and peremptory challenges. Both types of challen...
Synthetic/Engineering Biology: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-30 · Reports · 12,441 words · PDF available
Synthetic biology, sometimes referred to as engineering biology, is the application of engineering principles and the use of systematic design tools to enable the reprogramming of cellular systems at ...
National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-30 · Resources · 1,409 words · PDF available
The National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center (NCBC), originally established by Congress in 2005 as the National Counter Proliferation Center (NCPC), is one of three mission centers within ...
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: FY2023 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-30 · Resources · 1,261 words · PDF available
Introduction The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI), has a mission to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habi...
Religious Objections to Nondiscrimination Laws: Supreme Court October Term 2022
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-29 · Posts · 3,506 words · PDF available
The Supreme Court has been presented recently with multiple appeals from religious institutions that object to laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. A baker who objects t...
Enhanced Geothermal Systems: Introduction and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-29 · Reports · 13,287 words · PDF available
Geothermal power is a type of energy generation technology the United States can use to help meet its future energy needs. U.S. energy use is growing, end uses are changing, and the power grid is bein...
Farmer Mac and Its Board Members
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-29 · Resources · 1,111 words · PDF available
Overview The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) is a secondary market for agricultural mortgages. It purchases loans from originating lenders and provides other risk management too...
Medicare Graduate Medical Education Payments: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-29 · Resources · 1,442 words · PDF available
Medicare makes a significant investment in medical residency training (or graduate medical education, GME). It paid an estimated $16.2 billion in FY2020, primarily to hospitals. The Government Account...
Crypto Assets and Property of the Bankruptcy Estate: An Analysis
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-28 · Posts · 2,193 words · PDF available
As the effects of the recent sharp decline in cryptocurrency prices, or “crypto winter,” spread to the dockets of bankruptcy courts, those courts face a novel legal question: Are crypto account holder...
Social Security: What Would Happen If the Trust Funds Ran Out?
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-28 · Reports · 9,806 words
Social Security’s receipts and expenditures are accounted for through two federal trust funds: the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance (DI) T...
The Budget Reconciliation Process: The Senate’s “Byrd Rule”
Congressional Research Service · 2022-09-28 · Reports · 17,438 words
Reconciliation is a procedure under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 by which Congress implements budget resolution policies affecting mainly permanent spending and revenue programs. The principal...