Policy Library

7,020 documents

Insulin Coverage Under Private Health Insurance and Medicare Part D: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-06 · Reports · 5,570 words · PDF available
Millions of individuals with diabetes in the United States require daily insulin injections to survive. Many of these individuals can face high list prices and rising cost-sharing requirements under t...
The National Trails System: A Brief Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-06 · Reports · 8,857 words · PDF available
The National Trails System was created in 1968 by the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. §§1241-1251). The system includes four types of trails: (1) national scenic trails (NSTs), which display sig...
Strong Dollar: Implications for U.S. Economy
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-06 · Resources · 1,625 words · PDF available
Over the past decade the U.S. dollar has generally increased in value relative to other currencies, reaching new heights since the beginning of the current economic expansion. This appreciation result...
Crypto and Banking: Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-06 · Resources · 1,796 words · PDF available
Some banks have expressed interest in offering services related to cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. Yet extreme and persistent price volatility—along with several high-profile scandals, scam...
Recent Developments in Opioid Regulation Under the Controlled Substances Act
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-03 · Posts · 3,312 words · PDF available
In recent years, policymakers have devoted significant attention to opioid regulation, seeking in particular to combat the epidemic of opioid misuse and overdoses. Opioids are drugs derived from the o...
Third Circuit Dismisses Johnson & Johnson Bankruptcy and Novel Mass-Tort Approach
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-03 · Posts · 1,985 words · PDF available
Introduction On January 30, 2023, the Third Circuit denied the efforts of Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc. (Old Consumer), a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), to use the bankruptcy system as a fo...
Supermajority Votes in the House
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-03 · Reports · 781 words · PDF available
The principle of majority rule dominates the work of the House of Representatives. This means that most questions are decided by vote of a simple majority: one-half plus one of the Members voting, ass...
Accredited Investor Definition and Private Securities Markets
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-03 · Resources · 1,406 words · PDF available
Companies turn to capital markets to raise funding from investors, a process referred to as a securities offering. Public securities offerings are open to a wide range of investors and must meet compr...
Rules and Statutes Relevant to Safeguarding Classified Materials
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-03 · Resources · 1,352 words · PDF available
The discovery of classified documents at the homes, offices, or other facilities used by Presidents and former Presidents and Vice Presidents has spurred Department of Justice investigations. These di...
House Voting Procedures: Forms and Requirements
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-03 · Reports · 1,632 words · PDF available
In the House, there are four forms of votes: voice vote, division vote, yea and nay vote, and recorded vote. In the Committee of the Whole, where much of the chamber’s business is conducted, the forms...
Flooding and Federal Projects: Exposures and Limits to Liability
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-02 · Reports · 11,838 words · PDF available
Over the past century, the federal government has undertaken a number of civil works projects to prevent widespread flooding damage. Congress authorizes these flood control projects and generally dele...
The Protection of Classified Information: The Legal Framework
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-02 · Reports · 15,613 words
This report provides an overview of the relationship between executive and legislative authority over national security information. It summarizes the current laws that form the legal framework protec...
Commemorative Commissions: Overview, Structure, and Funding
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-02 · Reports · 6,328 words · PDF available
Congress statutorily establishes commemorative commissions to oversee and coordinate the federal government’s commemoration of a person or event. Typically, commemorative commissions coordinate celebr...
Mental Health Parity and Coverage in Private Health Insurance: Federal Requirements
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-01 · Reports · 7,485 words · PDF available
Given that most people in the United States have private health insurance, and given the prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUDs) in the United States, there is considerable c...
The Effect of Private Immigration Legislation and Recent Policy Changes
For many years, private immigration bills have served as the last step to prevent the removal of certain aliens (as defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)) who are subject to final order...
HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2023-02-01 · Resources · 1,539 words · PDF available
The Section 108 Loan Guarantee program (Section 108) is one of several Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs designed to support local community and economic development activitie...
Federalism-Based Limitations on Congressional Power: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-31 · Reports · 27,046 words · PDF available
The U.S. Constitution establishes a system of dual sovereignty between the states and the federal government. Although the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution designates federal law as supreme to sta...
Immigration Relief for Noncitizen Crime Victims
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-31 · Reports · 8,489 words · PDF available
Noncitizens (referred to as aliens in immigration law), like citizens, may be victims of crime in the United States. Noncitizen crime victims can be temporary nonimmigrants (e.g., tourists, students, ...
Oil and Gas Technology and Geothermal Energy Development
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-31 · Reports · 11,201 words · PDF available
The U.S. energy industry is undergoing a decades-long transition that includes increased production of shale oil and natural gas, decreased reliance on coal-fired power plants, increased investment an...
Electric Utility Disconnections
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-31 · Reports · 9,585 words · PDF available
When an electricity customer does not pay their electricity bill in full and on time, a process begins which can culminate in disconnection. Disconnections are closely related to electricity affordabi...
Improving Crime Victimization Data for Noncitizen Populations
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-31 · Resources · 1,684 words · PDF available
Accurate and comprehensive crime data are vital to understanding the scope of criminal victimizations in the United States, including those affecting noncitizens and immigrant communities. These data ...
The “Quad”: Cooperation Among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-30 · Resources · 1,654 words · PDF available
Overview The Biden Administration has boosted the profile of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, aka “the Quad,” as a centerpiece of its Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at strengthening the United States...
DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy FY2023 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-27 · Resources · 1,274 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is responsible for enabling renewable energy and end-use energy efficiency technology development and im...
An Introduction to Trade Secrets Law in the United States
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-27 · Resources · 1,795 words · PDF available
Trade secrets—a form of intellectual property comprising many kinds of confidential information—are widely considered to be important assets for U.S. companies and the U.S. economy as a whole, with ex...
Discharge Procedure in the House
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-26 · Reports · 2,145 words · PDF available
The House discharge rule (Rule XV, clause 2) provides a means for Members to bring to the floor for consideration a public bill or resolution that has been referred to committee but not reported. Disc...
How Consumer Data Affects Competition Through Digital Advertising
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-26 · Resources · 1,487 words · PDF available
Digital advertising allows advertisers to send targeted ads, meaning different users viewing the same website or app at the same moment might see different ads. By using targeted ads, websites and app...
The SEC’s Proxy Advisory Firm Disclosure Reforms
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-25 · Resources · 1,601 words · PDF available
The boards of directors of public companies provide strategic planning and oversight. The boards, in turn respond to the views of shareholders and may vote on proposed corporate changes if the proposa...
Health Care Provisions of the Budget Reconciliation Measure P.L. 117-169
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-24 · Reports · 28,513 words · PDF available
On August 16, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law a budget reconciliation measure often referred to as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-169). Congress began the legislative process...
Emergency Assistance for Agricultural Land Rehabilitation
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-24 · Reports · 6,184 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers several permanently authorized programs to help producers recover from natural disasters. Most of these programs offer financial assistance to pro...
USDA Nutrition Assistance Programs: Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-24 · Reports · 16,653 words · PDF available
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) programs are often part of emergency response efforts, providing foods for distribution, additional benefits for redemption, and ...
Foreign Ownership and Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-24 · Resources · 1,569 words · PDF available
The 117th Congress introduced a range of proposals to restrict foreign investment and ownership in the U.S. food and agriculture sector and enacted certain new reporting requirements for the U.S. Depa...
Consumption Taxes: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-24 · Reports · 8,880 words · PDF available
Some argue that the current U.S. income tax code is overly complicated and unfair, restrains economic growth, and is in need of reform. One option for tax reform would be to tax consumption instead of...
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2023 Budget and Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-23 · Reports · 15,660 words · PDF available
Each year, Congress considers 12 distinct appropriations measures to fund federal programs and activities. One of these is the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) app...
Consideration of Privileged Nominations in the Senate
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-23 · Reports · 5,733 words · PDF available
Privileged nominations are a subset of presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed positions that are eligible for consideration under procedures established by S.Res. 116 (112th Congress, 2011-2012...
Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Housing Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-23 · Reports · 10,801 words · PDF available
Noncitizen eligibility for federal housing programs varies based on the programs in question, the laws and regulations that govern them, the agency that administers them, the immigration status of a n...
Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 117th Congress, Second Session
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-20 · Reports · 8,656 words · PDF available
The Unemployment Insurance (UI) system is a joint federal-state partnership that consists of two types of benefits: (1) permanently authorized programs including the Unemployment Compensation (UC) and...
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-20 · Reports · 8,275 words · PDF available
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended by the Refugee Act of 1980, authorizes the United States to admit refugees. The INA defines a refugee as a person who is outside his or her countr...
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-20 · Resources · 1,695 words
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs) are the official representative offices of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC, o...
Buying American: The Berry and Kissell Amendments
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-20 · Resources · 1,721 words · PDF available
Two U.S. laws—known as the Berry and Kissell Amendments—require that certain products purchased by the Department of Defense (DOD) and some agencies of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) be man...
The 15% Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-19 · Reports · 11,486 words · PDF available
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-169) imposes a corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT) of 15% on the adjusted financial statement income of large corporations. Corporations would pay th...
Listed Chemicals and Federal Regulation of Controlled Substance Precursors
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-19 · Resources · 1,596 words · PDF available
The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) regulates pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical drugs and other substances that pose a risk of abuse and dependence. The CSA authorizes the manufacture, distributio...
Foreign Ownership of U.S. Agriculture: Selected Policy Options
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-19 · Resources · 1,847 words · PDF available
Congress continues to debate the role of foreign investment in the U.S. food and agriculture sector. Recently enacted appropriations directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand public...
Cybersecurity: Bureau of Cyber Statistics
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-19 · Reports · 5,752 words · PDF available
The scope and scale of cyberattacks against the United States have been difficult to catalog and quantify. Most observers recognize the frequency, severity, and diversity of such attacks as increasing...
Legal and Procedural Matters Related to Seating a Cherokee Nation Delegate in the House of Representatives
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-19 · Reports · 16,308 words · PDF available
On August 22, 2019, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. announced his tribe’s intention to nominate a delegate to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to represent the Cherokee Nat...
Afghan Eligibility for Selected Benefits Based on Immigration Status: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-18 · Reports · 2,351 words · PDF available
This short report outlines eligibility for selected benefits based on possible immigration statuses that are available or could possibly become available for Afghan evacuees, including refugee, asylee...
Enforceable Spending Allocations in the Congressional Budget Process: 302(a)s and 302(b)s
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-18 · Reports · 5,156 words · PDF available
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (the Budget Act) stipulates a system for enforcing the spending levels established in the budget resolution that focuses on the individual committees and subcommit...
Fifth Circuit Considers Constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-18 · Posts · 2,435 words · PDF available
In the case Consumers’ Research v. FCC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is considering whether the funding mechanisms for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Universal Serv...
Transgender Students and School Bathroom Policies: Equal Protection Challenges Divide Appellate Courts
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-17 · Posts · 3,090 words · PDF available
The Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause prohibits states from denying individuals “the equal protection of the laws.” Transgender students have brought a number of challenges under the Equa...
Federal Economic Development Resources for Food Businesses and Systems: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-13 · Reports · 5,525 words · PDF available
Community initiatives to improve local and regional food systems often focus on efforts to increase the consumption, production, distribution, and development of products within a particular geographi...
The Nineteenth Amendment and Women’s Suffrage Part 5: Supreme Court Interpretations
Congressional Research Service · 2023-01-13 · Posts · 583 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the fifth in a six-part series that discusses the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which recognized women’s voting rights. Shortly before Election Day 2022, a group of p...