Policy Library

7,020 documents

How Did COVID-19 Unemployment Insurance Benefits Impact Consumer Spending and Employment?
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-24 · Resources · 1,653 words · PDF available
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically disrupted the economy with mass layoffs and business closures. The economy was shocked with stay-at-home and shutdown orders designed to limit person-to-person conta...
Congress’s Foreign Commerce Clause Power Questioned
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-23 · Posts · 1,039 words · PDF available
On May 5, 2022, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (the panel) held that the federal sex tourism statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c), outlawing overseas child molestation, ex...
Federal Civil Aviation Programs: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-23 · Reports · 5,945 words · PDF available
This report discusses Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs that are funded primarily through a special trust fund, the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF), and organized under four broad bu...
The Modernizing Veterans’ Health Care Eligibility Act (H.R. 1216), and other Pending Legislation
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-22 · Testimony · 12,068 words · PDF available
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Social Security: Are Benefits Paid to Incarcerated Individuals?
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-22 · Resources · 1,442 words · PDF available
Background Social Security is a work-related federal benefit program that is funded primarily by dedicated payroll taxes paid by covered workers and their employers. The program pays monthly cash bene...
Farm Bill Primer: MAL and LDP Farm Support Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-22 · Resources · 1,314 words · PDF available
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334) reauthorized the Marketing Assistance Loan (MAL) and Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) programs for crop years 2019-2023. The MAL pro...
Permanent Immigration Options for Afghans with Immigration Parole
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-21 · Reports · 7,632 words · PDF available
Since late July 2021, tens of thousands of Afghan nationals whose evacuation from Afghanistan was facilitated by the U.S. government have been relocated to the United States. Some of these Afghan evac...
Career and Technical Education: A Primer
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-21 · Reports · 10,616 words · PDF available
Career and technical education (CTE), sometimes referred to as vocational education, provides occupational and non-occupational preparation at the secondary and postsecondary levels. CTE is a key elem...
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2022 Budget Request and Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-17 · Resources · 1,333 words · PDF available
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) mission is to understand and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans, and coasts; to share that information with others; and to conse...
Small Business Administration 504/CDC Loan Guaranty Program
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-16 · Reports · 16,451 words
The Small Business Administration (SBA) administers several programs to support small businesses, including loan guaranty programs designed to encourage lenders to provide loans to small businesses “t...
Double Jeopardy, Dual Sovereignty, and Enforcement of Tribal Laws
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-16 · Posts · 1,203 words · PDF available
On June 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision upheld the federal prosecution of a man who had already been convicted of, and punished for, a lesser-included offense by a Court of Indian O...
Abu Zubaydah and the State Secrets Doctrine
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-16 · Posts · 1,619 words · PDF available
Zayn Al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn (also known as Abu Zubaydah) is a detainee at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was also the first suspected Al Qaeda detainee rendered into Central Int...
Small Business Size Standards: A Historical Analysis of Contemporary Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-15 · Reports · 23,535 words · PDF available
Small business size standards are of congressional interest because they have a pivotal role in determining eligibility for Small Business Administration (SBA) assistance as well as federal contractin...
Federal Milk Marketing Orders: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-15 · Reports · 12,287 words · PDF available
Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs) are geographically defined fluid-milk demand areas. Under FMMO law and regulations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) establishes a minimum milk price, an...
The Federal Role in Orphan Oil and Gas Well Reclamation
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-15 · Resources · 2,004 words · PDF available
Production of oil and gas in the United States began in the late 19th century and continues to contribute to meeting U.S. fuel and petrochemical demands. Over time, federal and state requirements were...
Short- and Long-Term Solutions to Extreme Drought in the Western United States
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Testimony · 7,329 words · PDF available
Water resources; drought; drought policy; Bureau of Reclamation; National Integrated Drought Information System; water storage: water reuse and recycling; desalination; wildlife and ecosystems.
The Political Question Doctrine: The Doctrine in the Modern Era (Part 3)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Posts · 947 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the third in a six-part series that discusses the Supreme Court’s political question doctrine, which instructs that federal courts should forbear from resolving questions when do...
The Political Question Doctrine: Historical Background (Part 2)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Posts · 1,113 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the second in a six-part series that discusses the Supreme Court’s political question doctrine, which instructs that federal courts should forbear from resolving questions when d...
Social Security: Selected Findings of the 2022 Annual Report
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Resources · 1,731 words · PDF available
According to the recent report of the Board of Trustees of the Social Security Trust Funds, the program’s finances are in a similar, albeit marginally better, position in 2022 relative to what they we...
The Political Question Doctrine: Foreign Affairs as a Political Question (Part 4)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Posts · 1,462 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the fourth in a six-part series that discusses the Supreme Court’s political question doctrine, which instructs that federal courts should forbear from resolving questions when d...
The Political Question Doctrine: Congressional Governance and Impeachment as Political Questions (Part 5)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Posts · 1,187 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the fifth in a six-part series that discusses the Supreme Court’s political question doctrine, which instructs that federal courts should forbear from resolving questions when do...
The Political Question Doctrine: Political Process, Elections, and Gerrymandering (Part 6)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Posts · 1,252 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the sixth in a six-part series that discusses the Supreme Court’s political question doctrine, which instructs that federal courts should forbear from resolving questions when do...
Guides and Outfitters on Federal Lands: Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Reports · 7,233 words · PDF available
Guides and outfitters play a significant role in facilitating recreational use of the country’s public lands, including those owned by the federal government. These service providers also can be of pa...
The Political Question Doctrine: An Introduction (Part 1)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Posts · 684 words · PDF available
This Legal Sidebar is the first in a six-part series that discusses the Supreme Court’s political question doctrine, which instructs that federal courts should forbear from resolving questions when do...
Postal Primer: ZIP Codes and Boundary Review Process
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Resources · 1,395 words · PDF available
The United States Postal Service (USPS) establishes postal ZIP codes to assist in the efficient sorting and routing of mail. As of March 5, 2022, there were 41,683 ZIP codes in the United States. Thi...
Romania: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-14 · Resources · 1,602 words · PDF available
With a population of almost 20 million, Romania is the largest country in southeastern Europe. After the end of communist rule in 1989, Romania adopted a Euro-Atlantic orientation, joining NATO in 200...
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Overview of FY2022 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-13 · Reports · 10,351 words · PDF available
The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill—often called the Interior bill—contains funding for about three dozen agencies and entities. They include most of the Department of ...
Juvenile Life Without Parole: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-13 · Reports · 5,007 words · PDF available
Since the creation of separate courts for juveniles in the United States in 1899, the juvenile justice system has generally operated under the broad understanding that the role of criminal justice dif...
Judiciary Appropriations, FY2022
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-10 · Reports · 13,468 words · PDF available
Funds for the judicial branch are included annually in the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill. The bill provides funding for the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Court of...
School Safety and Target Hardening
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-10 · Resources · 1,738 words · PDF available
The May 2022 deaths of 19 students and 2 teachers in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, has led some Members of Congress to discuss a range of policy options to address gun viole...
Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-10 · Reports · 26,363 words · PDF available
The U.S. government supports a broad range of scientific and engineering research and development (R&D). Its purposes include addressing national defense, health, safety, the environment, and energy s...
Small Business Mentor-Protégé Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-10 · Reports · 11,419 words
Mentor-protégé programs typically seek to pair new businesses with more experienced businesses in mutually beneficial relationships. Protégés may receive financial, technical, or management assistance...
Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Siting: FERC Policy and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-09 · Reports · 17,472 words
Growth in U.S. natural gas production has driven the development of new pipelines from producing regions to consuming markets. Over 300,000 miles of transmission pipeline already transport natural gas...
Temporary Professional Foreign Workers: Background, Trends, and Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-09 · Reports · 17,525 words · PDF available
Temporary visas have become an increasingly important gateway for foreign professionals to work in the United States. Since 1997, the number of visas issued annually for temporary professional workers...
Stablecoins: Legal Issues and Regulatory Options (Part 1)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-09 · Posts · 3,047 words · PDF available
In 2008, the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto released a white paper describing a peer-to-peer system of electronic cash. The product of that paper—Bitcoin—now boasts a market capitalization of roughly $...
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) FY2022 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-09 · Resources · 1,236 words · PDF available
With congressional approval, the Nixon Administration established the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under executive branch Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970. This reorganization consolida...
Stablecoins: Legal Issues and Regulatory Options (Part 2)
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-09 · Posts · 1,353 words · PDF available
As discussed in the first part of this two-part Legal Sidebar series, stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to a reference asset like the U.S. dollar. While stablecoin issuers attempt...
Small Business Management and Technical Assistance Training Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-09 · Reports · 22,290 words · PDF available
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has provided managerial and technical assistance training to small businesses since it began operations in 1953. Initially, the SBA provided its own training pr...
Introducing Third Way’s US-China Digital World Order Initiative
Third Way · 2022-06-08 · Memo · 1,614 words
Third Way is a center-left think tank that champions modern solutions to the most challenging problems in US public policy, including the economy, climate and energy, national security, social policy,...
Social Security: Adjustment Factors for Early or Delayed Benefit Claiming
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-08 · Reports · 16,071 words · PDF available
Social Security is a work-based, federal insurance program that provides monthly cash benefits to insured workers and their eligible family members in the event of the worker’s retirement, disability,...
Deeming Resolutions: Budget Enforcement in the Absence of a Budget Resolution
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-08 · Reports · 8,442 words · PDF available
The budget resolution reflects an agreement between the House and Senate on a budgetary plan for the upcoming fiscal year. Once agreed to by both chambers in the exact same form, the budget resolution...
Private-Sector Defined Contribution Pension Plans: An Introduction
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-08 · Reports · 5,774 words · PDF available
The two types of pension plans that private-sector employers can offer are defined contribution (DC) plans, in which participants have individual accounts that can provide a source of income in retire...
The Open App Markets Act
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-08 · Posts · 2,264 words · PDF available
Efforts to reform competition law proceed at different levels of generality. Some bills would tackle antitrust writ large. Others are more focused, applying special rules to a handful of Big Tech comp...
Removal of Nazi Symbols and Inscriptions on Headstones of Prisoners of War in VA National Cemeteries
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-08 · Resources · 1,692 words · PDF available
Overview During World War II, hundreds of thousands of German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners of war (POWs) were held in the United States at various military installations. During this time, the U.S...
Overview of the Federal Tax System in 2022
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-08 · Reports · 10,659 words · PDF available
This report describes the federal tax structure and system in effect for 2022. The report also provides selected statistics on the tax system as a whole. Historically, the largest component of the fed...
Energy and Water Development: FY2022 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-07 · Reports · 18,537 words · PDF available
The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill funds civil works projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation...
Tribal Highway and Public Transportation Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-07 · Resources · 1,611 words · PDF available
The federal government recognizes 574 Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages and holds about 55 million acres of land in trust for tribal entities and individual tribal members. Tribal lands—includi...
Addressing the Long-Run Deficit: A Comparison of Approaches
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-07 · Reports · 14,951 words · PDF available
The growth of the national debt, which is considered unsustainable under current policies, continues to be one of the central issues of domestic federal policymaking. Addressing a federal budget defi...
U.S.-EU Trade Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-03 · Reports · 18,641 words · PDF available
Bilateral trade and investment ties between the United States and the European Union (EU) are long-standing and extensive, but some tariff and nontariff barriers remain. Successive U.S. Administration...
Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs): Proposed Legislation
Congressional Research Service · 2022-06-03 · Resources · 1,718 words · PDF available
Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are funds or accounts established within a sponsoring organization. Taxpayers are allowed to make deductible charitable contributions to DAFs. Sponsoring organizations are o...