Federal Lands and Related Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 118th Congress
The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, and manage federal property. The 118th Congress faces multiple policy issues related to federal lands and the natural, cultu...
East Palestine, OH, Train Derailment and Hazardous Materials Shipment by Rail: Frequently Asked Questions
On February 3, 2023, a freight train carrying hazardous materials operated by Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation derailed in the town of East Palestine, OH. The derailment involved a fire and damage...
Prior Converted Cropland Under the Clean Water Act
For decades, the value of wetlands and efforts to protect them have been recognized in different ways through national policies, federal laws, and regulations. The central federal regulatory program, ...
Trade-Related Agencies: FY2023 Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)
This report provides an overview of actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations for the International Trade Administration (ITA), the U.S. Internat...
Cryptocurrency: Selected Policy Issues
Cryptocurrencies are digital financial instruments exchanged across public blockchains, and recorded on ledgers, that do not require central intermediaries (e.g., commercial banks, central banks) for ...
Debate, Motions, and Other Actions in the Committee of the Whole
The House of Representatives resolves into the Committee of the Whole, a parliamentary device designed to allow greater participation by Members in debate, to consider major measures. Various rules an...
Forest Service: FY2023 Appropriations
The Forest Service (FS) is responsible for managing 193 million acres of land in the National Forest System (NFS), conducting forestry research, and providing assistance to state, local, private, and ...
The Department of Education’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Improving Income-Driven Repayment for the Direct Loan Program: Frequently Asked Questions
On January 11, 2023, the Department of Education (ED) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to make a number of substantial amendments to the federal student loan income-driven repayment (I...
The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5; Division HH, Title VI of P.L. 117-328): Authority to Collect Fees
The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5; Division HH, Title VI of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, P.L. 117-328) reauthorized the collection and use of two types of fees...
Supreme Court Considers Preemption Under the National Labor Relations Act
On January 10, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union No. 174, a case involving the National Labor Relations Act (N...
The Black Lung Program, the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and the Excise Tax on Coal
The federal government pays benefits to coal miners affected by coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP, commonly referred to as black lung disease) and other lung diseases linked to coal mining in cases wh...