Privately Made and Unmarked Firearms: Overview of ATF “Ghost Gun” Rule
On April 7, 2021, President Biden announced several executive actions seeking to address gun violence, including instructions for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue a rule addressing so-called “...
Nonstructural Shoreline Stabilization Projects, or “Beach Renourishment,” and the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA)
Coastal areas have often been popular sites for development for a variety of commercial, scientific, and personal purposes. The U.S. coastal areas are twice as developed as the rest of the country, an...
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Current Roles and Programs
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an executive branch agency within the Department of Commerce, plays a leading role in spectrum management, federal broadband supp...
Leaving Congress: House of Representatives and Senate Departures Data, 1989-2020
Members of Congress leave the House or Senate for a variety of reasons; these may include resignation, death, or chamber action during a Congress, and retirement, electoral defeat, or pursuit of anoth...
Gasoline Price Increases: Federal and State Authority to Limit “Price Gouging”
Fluctuations in gasoline prices, including supply chain concerns related to international events, have renewed focus on the role of the government in discouraging gasoline “price gouging,” a term comm...
SBA Office of the National Ombudsman: Overview, History, and Current Issues
The Office of the National Ombudsman, housed within the Small Business Administration (SBA), was created in 1996 as part of P.L. 104-121, the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996 (Title II, t...
The Use of DNA by the Criminal Justice System and the Federal Role: Background, Current Law, and Grants
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the fundamental building block for an individual’s entire genetic makeup. DNA is a powerful tool for law enforcement investigations because each person’s DNA is diffe...
Russia’s Trade Status, Tariffs, and WTO Issues
Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Senate and House passed H.R. 7108 on April 7 to revoke Russia’s permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status, which provides unconditional, nondiscri...
The Provider Relief Fund: Frequently Asked Questions
The Provider Relief Fund (PRF) was established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act, P.L. 116-136) to reimburse, through grants or other mechanisms, eligible health car...
Federal Civil Action for Disclosure of Intimate Images: Free Speech Considerations
On March 15, 2022, Congress authorized a federal civil claim relating to the disclosure of intimate images as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022. The new cause of action, which takes ef...
SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues
The Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) is an “independent” office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advances “the views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White Ho...
Space Weather: An Overview of Policy and Select U.S. Government Roles and Responsibilities
Space weather refers to conditions on the sun, in the solar wind, and within the extreme reaches of Earth’s upper atmosphere. In certain circumstances, space weather may pose hazards to space-borne an...