Federal Role in Responding to Potential Risks of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of fluorinated compounds that have been used for various purposes, including numerous commercial, industrial, and U.S. military applications. Som...
Forecasting Tropical Cyclones: NOAA’s Role
Timely and accurate forecasts of tropical cyclones, including tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes (hereinafter TCs or storms), can provide life-and property-saving warnings to parts ...
Modernizing Access to Military Service Records: Frequently Asked Questions
As the world increasingly relies on digital access and electronic material as means to apply for jobs, educational programs, disability or military benefits, etc., documents that are not digitized are...
Ongoing Efforts to Address Fraud and Adulteration of Honey
In the next farm bill, Congress may address concerns raised by U.S. honey producers about the adulteration, misbranding, and fraudulent mislabeling of both domestically produced and imported honey. So...
Microsoft’s Proposed Acquisition of Activision Blizzard: In Brief
Keywords: Microsoft Corp., Activision Blizzard Inc., video game, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice (DOJ), antitrust, Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, Clayton Act, competition, labor market, ...
Railroad Retirement Board: Trust Fund Investment Practices
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), an independent federal agency, administers retirement, survivor, disability, unemployment, and sickness insurance for railroad workers and their families. Railroad...
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay: History and Legal Issues Regarding Its Lease Agreements
This report briefly outlines the history of the U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, its changing relationship to the surrounding community, and its heightened importance due to military operation...
Big Tech in Financial Services
For the past decade or so, “Big Tech”—which hereinafter refers to the large technology companies Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook (now Meta Platforms), unless otherwise noted—has been offering a va...
Protection of Health Information Under HIPAA and the FTC Act: A Comparison
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, and holding that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. Following...
Back to the Future? Lessons from the “Great Inflation”
Since April 2021, the U.S. economy has grappled with high inflation, which reached 6.3% in May 2022, as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index. (For more information, see CRS Re...
The School Foodservice Workforce: Characteristics and Labor Market Outcomes
In 2019, an estimated 339,000 workers were employed in foodservice operations in the nation’s elementary and secondary schools. While news stories often focus on so-called lunch ladies, the school foo...
Highway Bridges: Conditions, Funding Programs, and Issues for Congress
The United States has approximately 620,000 bridges longer than 20 feet on public roads. About 48% of these bridges are owned by state governments and 50% by local governments. The number of bridges c...
Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)
Overview
CAFTA-DR is a free trade agreement (FTA) among the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. It eliminated on a reciprocal basis tari...