Policy Library

6,587 documents

GI Bill Amendments Enacted in the 116th Congress: NonCOVID19Related
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-09 · Resources · 1,616 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers several GI Bills that provide grant aid to eligible veterans and servicemembers and their dependents who are enrolled in approved educational a...
SORNA: An Abridged Legal Analysis of 18 U.S.C. § 2250 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-05 · Reports · 5,958 words · PDF available
Section 2250(a) of Title 18 of the United States Code outlaws an individual’s failure to comply with federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) requirements. SORNA demands that an ...
SORNA: A Legal Analysis of 18 U.S.C. § 2250 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-05 · Reports · 23,318 words · PDF available
Section 2250(a) of Title 18 of the United States Code outlaws an individual’s failure to comply with federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) requirements. SORNA demands that an ...
Rollovers and Conversions to Roth IRAs and Designated Roth Accounts: Proposed Changes in Budget Reconciliation
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-05 · Resources · 1,401 words · PDF available
Introduction Individuals can save for retirement through tax-advantaged vehicles such as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and qualified retirement plans (for instance, employer-sponsored 401(k)s ...
Does the President Have the Power to Legalize Marijuana?
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-04 · Posts · 2,397 words · PDF available
The legal status of marijuana has been a topic of recurring interest in recent years, as states, federal legislators, and federal executive agencies consider how to regulate cannabis and its derivativ...
Landsat 9 and the Future of the Sustainable Land Imaging Program
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-04 · Reports · 13,665 words · PDF available
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched Landsat 9, a remote sensing satellite NASA developed in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), on September 27, 2021. Lan...
Agriculture and Forestry Offsets in Carbon Markets: Background and Selected Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-03 · Reports · 19,949 words · PDF available
The number of private carbon market programs (also known as carbon market initiatives) that pay farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners (participants) to generate carbon offsets for use in carbon mar...
Due Process Rights for Guantanamo Detainees
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-02 · Posts · 2,368 words · PDF available
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) granted a petition for rehearing en banc in Al Hela v. Biden, vacating a three-judge panel opinion holding that law-of-wa...
Clean Energy Standards: Selected Issues for the 117th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-02 · Reports · 6,469 words · PDF available
For many years, policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been of interest to Congress. Congressional and constituent interest continues in the 117th Congress. One option to reduce GHG em...
Recreational Access Acquisitions: Overview and Recent Funding History
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-02 · Reports · 14,816 words · PDF available
Four federal land management agencies (FLMAs) administer about 95% of federal land. They are the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the National Park Servic...
Reserve Component Personnel Issues: Questions and Answers
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-02 · Reports · 18,543 words
The Constitution provides Congress with broad powers over the Armed Forces, including the power to “to raise and support Armies,” “to provide and maintain a Navy,” “to make Rules for the Government an...
Reduction in Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-11-01 · Reports · 10,235 words · PDF available
Many stakeholders are concerned with the status of global forests and the effects of deforestation and forest degradation, for several reasons. Forests store the greatest amount of terrestrial carbon ...
U.S. Climate Change Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-28 · Reports · 21,792 words · PDF available
The greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere trap radiant energy, warming earth’s surface and oceans. Scientific assessments conclude that GHGs very likely have been the main driver of warming of the...
The Farm Bill Energy Title: An Overview and Funding History
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-28 · Reports · 11,974 words · PDF available
Title IX, the energy title, of the 2018 farm bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018; P.L. 115-334) contains authority for the energy programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USD...
Access to Short-Term Disability Plans: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-28 · Reports · 6,943 words · PDF available
Short-term disability—also known as paid medical leave—provides temporary wage replacement benefits for eligible workers who are unable to perform their duties in the near term due to non-work-related...
Bank Mergers and Acquisitions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-28 · Resources · 1,685 words · PDF available
On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order on competition, which, among other things, encourages the Attorney General and the federal banking regulators “to review current practices an...
The USA PATRIOT Act at 20: Sneak and Peek Searches
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-27 · Posts · 1,455 words
President George W. Bush signed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“USA PATRIOT Act” or Act) on October 26, ...
Cybersecurity: Comparison of Selected Cyber Incident Reporting Bills—In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-25 · Reports · 2,129 words · PDF available
This report compares selected bills addressing cyber incident reporting from the first session of the 117th Congress. Search terms: H.R. 5440 the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure...
The Texas Heartbeat Act (S.B. 8), Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson, and United States v. Texas: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-25 · Posts · 4,066 words · PDF available
The Texas Heartbeat Act (S.B. 8) is a state law that prohibits physicians from performing or inducing an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Since S.B. 8 took effect on September 1, 2021, Tex...
Military Medical Care: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-25 · Reports · 11,883 words · PDF available
Military medical care is a congressionally authorized entitlement that has expanded in size and scope since the late 19th century. Chapters 55 and 56 of Title 10, U.S. Code entitle certain health bene...
Medicare: Insolvency Projections
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-25 · Reports · 6,373 words · PDF available
Medicare is the nation’s health insurance program for persons aged 65 and older and certain disabled persons. Medicare consists of four distinct parts: Part A (Hospital Insurance, or HI); Part B (Supp...
Tax Changes for Estates and Trusts in the Build Back Better Act (BBBA)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-22 · Resources · 1,120 words · PDF available
The Build Back Better Act (BBBA; H.R. 5376) would revise the estate and gift tax and treatment of trusts. It would eliminate the temporary increase in exemptions enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (...
Resolving Subpoena Disputes in the January 6 Investigation
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-21 · Posts · 2,685 words · PDF available
The inquiry conducted by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol (Select Committee) has recently garnered headlines not only for the Committee’s extensive ...
Medicare Financial Status: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-21 · Reports · 5,790 words · PDF available
This report provides a brief overview of the financial status of the two Medicare trust funds (Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI)) based on the findings of the 2021 Medi...
Addressing Unruly Airline Passengers
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-19 · Resources · 1,554 words · PDF available
As airline passengers have returned to flying in increasing numbers following the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related drop in ridership during 2020, the number of reported unruly passenger inc...
Financial Literacy and Financial Education Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-18 · Reports · 7,935 words · PDF available
Throughout their lives, Americans make financial decisions about saving, borrowing, and investing that can be complex and affect their financial well-being both now and in the future. Informed financi...
Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Nonresident Parents
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-18 · Reports · 17,724 words · PDF available
More than 9.7 million parents in the United States did not live with one or more of their children under age 21 in 2018. Policymakers have expressed interest in these nonresident parents out of concer...
The Internet Tax Freedom Act and Federal Preemption
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-18 · Resources · 1,838 words · PDF available
Congress enacted the Internet Tax Freedom Act to establish a moratorium on the imposition of state and local taxes that would interfere with the free flow of interstate commerce over the internet. The...
Federal Excise Taxes: Background and General Analysis
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-15 · Reports · 10,620 words · PDF available
In the tax policy context, excise taxes are selective taxes on specific consumption or behavior (in contrast with sales taxes, which tend to apply to all consumption, with some exceptions). Today, fed...
Social Security Financial Status: How the 2021 Annual Report Addressed the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-15 · Resources · 1,626 words · PDF available
Background Social Security is a self-financing program that in 2021 covers approximately 176 million workers and provides monthly cash benefits to over 65 million beneficiaries. It is the federal gove...
Underemployment, Recessions, and Poverty
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-14 · Reports · 8,422 words · PDF available
Having a job greatly reduces the likelihood of being in poverty: 5.0% of workers in the United States aged 18 to 64 were poor in 2020 compared with 28.8% of nonworkers. But having a job does not compl...
Tribal Lands: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-14 · Resources · 1,623 words · PDF available
Tribal lands can have a complicated and intermingled mix of land ownership and designation statuses. For instance, some federally recognized Indian tribes (hereinafter referred to as tribes) have rese...
Tunisia: Examining the State of Democracy and Next Steps for U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-12 · Testimony · 7,186 words · PDF available
Tunisia, North Africa, Maghreb, foreign assistance, democracy
The Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP): In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-07 · Reports · 4,866 words · PDF available
The Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP) is a policy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the electric power sector. Details of the program were included in House Committee on E...
What’s Next for WOTUS: Recent Litigation and Next Steps in Redefining “Waters of the United States”
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-07 · Posts · 2,897 words · PDF available
On September 3, 2021, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that they halted implementation of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which defined...
The Pregnancy Assistance Fund
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-06 · Resources · 1,496 words · PDF available
The Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) grant program was established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended), which provided $25 million in annual mandatory fund...
Ransomware and Federal Law: Cybercrime and Cybersecurity
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-05 · Reports · 8,629 words · PDF available
Ransomware attacks—the use of malicious software to deny users access to data and information systems to extort ransom payments from victims—are prevalent. A recent notable example is the May 2021 ran...
Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) FY2021 Appropriations: Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-05 · Reports · 4,577 words · PDF available
The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the judiciary, the District of Colu...
Social Security: Selected Findings of the 2021 Annual Report
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-05 · Resources · 1,750 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 worse, position in 2021 to what they were in 2020...
Social Security Dual Entitlement
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-05 · Resources · 1,362 words · PDF available
Overview Social Security is a social insurance program that partially replaces income lost due to retirement, disability, or death. Workers who have been in Social Security covered employment (jobs su...
Federal Courthouse Construction: Process, Recent Projects, and Funding Options
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-01 · Reports · 4,687 words · PDF available
The federal courthouse construction program is jointly administered by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC) and the General Services Administration (GSA). Broadly understood, the AOUSC...
Informal Administrative Adjudication: An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-01 · Reports · 20,339 words · PDF available
Federal agencies adjudicate a wide variety of matters, from applications for public benefits to enforcement actions against persons who have allegedly violated federal laws. Although the formal adjudi...
Commercial Human Spaceflight
Congressional Research Service · 2021-10-01 · Resources · 1,608 words · PDF available
Recent commercial flights to space by wealthy businesspeople and other private individuals have attracted interest both in Congress and among the general public. This In Focus summarizes current capab...
Federal Cybersecurity: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-29 · Reports · 12,965 words · PDF available
Federal agencies are responsible for collecting, processing, storing, and disposing of a large amount of digital information related to individuals, businesses, and sensitive matters. Managing that da...
Who Pays the Corporate Tax?
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-29 · Resources · 1,604 words · PDF available
Among the issues surrounding tax reform is who bears the burden of the corporate tax. The burden could fall on stockholders, on capital owners in general, or on labor. This question is important for c...
U.S. Farm Income Outlook: September 2021 Forecast
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-29 · Resources · 1,056 words · PDF available
USDA Projects Higher Farm Income in 2021 Two major indicators of U.S. farm sector financial well-being are net farm income and net cash farm income (see below for an explanation of these indicators). ...
Supervised Release (Parole): An Overview of Federal Law
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-28 · Reports · 30,122 words
Federal courts sentence almost 75% of the defendants convicted of federal offenses to a term of supervised release. A term of supervised release is a period following a defendant’s release from prison...
Supervised Release (Parole): An Abbreviated Outline of Federal Law
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-28 · Reports · 5,230 words
Federal courts sentence almost 75% of the defendants convicted of federal offenses to a term of supervised release. A term of supervised release is a period following a defendant’s release from prison...
Federal Airport Noise Regulations and Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-27 · Reports · 7,542 words · PDF available
Federal regulations mandating quieter aircraft have led to a considerable reduction of aircraft noise exposure over the past few decades. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has estimated that t...
Marine Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs): Background, Statutory Authorities, and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-27 · Reports · 13,994 words · PDF available
Experts agree that the widespread occurrence and effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs) have adversely affected humans and the environment and that they likely will continue to do so. HABs may affect ...