U.S. Forest Ownership and Management: Background and Issues for Congress
The 765 million acres of forests across the United States provide many social, economic, and ecological resources and uses. A forest’s health—generally, the status of its ecological integrity and func...
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Funding for USDA Rural Broadband Programs
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law (P.L. 117-58). The act invests $1.2 trillion in the nation’s infrastructure, including roads, highways,...
U.S. Agency for Global Media: Background, Governance, and Issues for Congress
Since the beginning of modern U.S. international broadcasting during World War II, debates over the effectiveness, strategic direction, and necessity of broadcasting activities have persisted. Long-st...
Social Security: Special Minimum Benefit and Windfall Elimination Provision
Background
Social Security is a work-related, federal insurance program that provides cash benefits to workers and their eligible family members in the event of the worker’s retirement, disability, or...
The Build Back Better Act, Universal Comprehensive Paid Leave Benefit Formula (as in November 3 Text), and State-Level Distribution of Workers: In Brief
On November 3, 2021, the House Rules Committee released text of a modified version of H.R. 5376, commonly referred to as the Build Back Better Act (BBBA). Title XIII, Subtitle A, of the act (titled “U...
Clearing the Air on the Debt Limit: Platinum Coins, the Fourteenth Amendment, and More
As Congress considers how to reconcile rising federal debt levels and the debt limit, discussions about the role of the debt limit among Members of Congress, researchers, and the media promise to beco...
Federal Support for the Municipal Bond Markets
Introduction
Municipal bonds are debt securities issued by state, city, county, and other nonfederal government agencies to pay for capital projects, such as highways, airports, sewers, bridges, schoo...
Landsat 9 and the Future of the Sustainable Land Imaging Program
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...
Bank Mergers and Acquisitions
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 Texas Heartbeat Act (S.B. 8), Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson, and United States v. Texas: Frequently Asked Questions
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...