Policy Library

7,020 documents

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
Audits Restore Faith in Elections
Heritage Foundation · 2021-10-08 · Commentary · 1,383 words
COMMENTARY BYHans A. von Spakovsky@HvonSpakovskyElection Law Reform Initiative Manager, Senior Legal FellowHans von Spakovsky is an authority on a wide range of issues—including civil rights, civil ju...
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 ...
Need-Tested Benefits: Children and Poverty
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-27 · Reports · 7,656 words · PDF available
For families with children, the years immediately preceding the COVID-19 pandemic were characterized by high rates of employment for parents and historically low poverty rates for children. In 2017, 9...
Central Asia: Background and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-24 · Reports · 31,147 words · PDF available
Central Asia is a landlocked region that borders the Caspian Sea to the West, Russia to the north, China to the east, and Afghanistan and Iran to the south. The five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan...
Social Security: The Average Wage Index
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-22 · Resources · 1,872 words · PDF available
Background Recent news articles suggest a possible decrease in national average wages due to the recent recession caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Such a decrease would have...
Social Security: Revisiting Benefits for Spouses and Survivors
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-21 · Reports · 16,969 words
Social Security auxiliary benefits are paid to the spouse, former spouse, survivor, child, or parent of a Social Security–covered worker and are equal to a specified percentage of the worker’s basic m...
An Overview of Rural Credit Markets
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-21 · Reports · 16,909 words
The financial industry has a substantial presence in metropolitan centers such as New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco, and one could argue these areas enjoy access to a range of financial servic...
The Homeowner Assistance Fund in the American Rescue Plan Act: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-20 · Reports · 5,138 words · PDF available
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2) provided $9.961 billion for a new Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) to be administered by the Department of the Treasury. Through the HAF, Treasury prov...
Executive Privilege and the January 6 Investigations: The Presidential Records Act and Relevant Judicial Considerations
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-20 · Posts · 2,063 words · PDF available
As discussed in this companion Sidebar, a former President retains the right to invoke executive privilege to protect covered communications that were made while in office. The strength of those prote...
Executive Privilege and Former Presidents: Constitutional Principles and Current Application
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-20 · Posts · 2,149 words · PDF available
A number of congressional committees, including the newly created House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (Select Committee), are currently investigat...
National Infrastructure Bank: Proposals in the 117th Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-20 · Resources · 1,215 words · PDF available
Introduction The term “infrastructure” generally refers to long-lived, capital-intensive systems and facilities in the areas of transportation, energy, water, and telecommunications. Some broader defi...
Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-17 · Reports · 23,325 words
Management of civilian radioactive waste has posed difficult issues for Congress since the beginning of the nuclear power industry in the 1950s. Federal policy is based on the premise that nuclear was...
Americans Know More About the Kardashians Than They Do About Our Constitution
Heritage Foundation · 2021-09-16 · Commentary · 910 words
Once the Constitution was drafted, people took the time to study and debate it in town halls, public squares, and ratifying conventions in the 13 states.Bill Oxford / Getty ImagesKey Takeaways2017 pol...
COVID-19 Testing: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-16 · Reports · 36,994 words · PDF available
The United States has at times reported some of the highest numbers of cases and deaths from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic globally, and the disease has affected and continues to af...
USDA Rural Broadband, Electric, and Water Programs: FY2022 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-16 · Reports · 8,859 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) programs build and enhance infrastructure in rural areas. RUS programs provide grants, loans, loan guarantees, and technical...
Affordable Care Act Litigation Still on the Docket After California v. Texas
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-14 · Posts · 4,738 words · PDF available
Referred to as “the most challenged statute in American history” by some commentators, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been the subject of numerous lawsuits since its enactmen...
The Supreme Court’s October 2020 Term: A Review of Selected Major Rulings
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-14 · Reports · 31,834 words · PDF available
The Supreme Court issued the last merits decision of its 2020–2021 Term on July 1, 2021. This term was also Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s first term as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The Cou...
Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicle Technology Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-13 · Reports · 16,451 words · PDF available
A wide array of federal incentives supports the development and deployment of alternatives to conventional fuels and engines in transportation. These incentives include tax deductions and credits for ...
Equitable Services for Private School Students and Staff and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-13 · Reports · 25,057 words · PDF available
Since the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, P.L. 89-10, as amended) in 1965, the major programs of aid to elementary and secondary education authorized under it have sough...
OSHA Jurisdiction Over Public Schools and Other State and Local Government Entities: COVID-19 Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-13 · Resources · 1,451 words · PDF available
As states and their public school systems consider how to provide education to students during the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, they face concerns about the safety and health ...
Provisions Related to Universal Paid Family and Medical Leave Developed by the House Committee on Ways and Means in Response to Reconciliation Directives
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-13 · Resources · 1,680 words · PDF available
The reconciliation language developed by the House Ways and Means Committee in response to reconciliation directives included in S.Con.Res. 14 includes provisions related to universal paid family and ...
Congressional Redistricting 2021: Legal Framework
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-10 · Posts · 2,944 words · PDF available
In August 2021, the Census Bureau released the 2020 redistricting data, and based on that data, states have begun the process of congressional redistricting. Redistricting is the drawing of district b...
Legal Mechanisms for Dealing with Changed Circumstances in Federal Contracting
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-10 · Posts · 1,651 words · PDF available
The federal government enters into hundreds of billions of dollars in contracts for the acquisition of goods and services every year. The complexity of these acquisitions runs the gamut, ranging from ...
Pipeline Cybersecurity: Federal Programs
Congressional Research Service · 2021-09-09 · Reports · 10,283 words · PDF available
The vast U.S. network of natural gas, crude oil, and refined product pipelines is integral to U.S. energy supply and also has vital links to other critical infrastructure such as power plants and airp...