Policy Library

6,587 documents

Medicare Hospital Payments: Adjusting for Variation in Geographic Area Wages
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-03 · Reports · 12,833 words · PDF available
Medicare paid $112 billion for inpatient services at short-term, acute-care hospitals in 2018. Of the approximately 4,700 such hospitals in 2018, 3,220 were paid under the Medicare inpatient prospecti...
Pipeline Transportation of Hydrogen: Regulation, Research, and Policy
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-02 · Reports · 14,462 words · PDF available
Some in Congress have proposed hydrogen as an environmentally superior alternative to conventional fossil fuels for vehicles and power generation, among other applications. Delivering hydrogen to scat...
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Streamgaging Network: Overview and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-02 · Reports · 13,216 words · PDF available
Streamgages are fixed structures at streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs that measure water level and related streamflow—the amount of water flowing through a water body over time. The U.S. Geologic...
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 Broadband Provisions: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-02 · Reports · 4,299 words · PDF available
Broadband––defined as high speed internet with speeds of at least 25/3 megabits per second (Mbps)––is provided by a variety of technologies (e.g., cable, telephone wire, fiber, satellite, and mobile a...
The Senkakus (Diaoyu/Diaoyutai) Dispute: U.S. Treaty Obligations
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-01 · Reports · 7,652 words · PDF available
Since 2012, tensions have increased between Japan and China over the disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea. These flare-ups run the risk of involving the United States in an armed conflict in...
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA): Water System Security and Resilience Provisions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-03-01 · Resources · 1,751 words · PDF available
The disruption of a safe and reliable water supply remains a long-standing concern related to the protection of public health. Several events have increased congressional attention to water system sec...
National Preparedness: A Summary and Select Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-26 · Reports · 9,006 words · PDF available
The nation has faced challenges in the effort to respond to, and recover from, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Persistent challenges related to acquisition and delivery of diagnostic...
Climate Change Adaptation: Department of the Interior
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-25 · Reports · 16,736 words · PDF available
The Department of the Interior (DOI) and many agencies within it, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlif...
The Federal Net Neutrality Debate: Access to Broadband Networks
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-24 · Reports · 16,888 words
As congressional policymakers continue to debate telecommunications reform, a major discussion point revolves around what approach should be taken to ensure unfettered access to the internet. The move...
U.S. Farm Income Outlook: February 2021 Forecast
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-24 · Resources · 1,202 words · PDF available
USDA Projects Lower Farm Income in 2021 Two major indicators of U.S. farm well-being are net farm income and net cash income. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects both indicators to be l...
A Brief History of U.S. Electricity Portfolio Standard Proposals
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-24 · Resources · 1,380 words · PDF available
Electricity portfolio standards are designed to change the set of energy sources used to generate electricity, usually by establishing requirements on utilities to procure a percentage of electricity ...
How Invidious Discrimination Works and Hurts: An Examination of Lending Discrimination and Its Long-Term Economic Impacts on Borrowers of Color
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-24 · Testimony · 7,048 words · PDF available
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CIC Services v. Internal Revenue Service: Interpreting the Tax Anti-Injunction Act
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-23 · Posts · 2,354 words · PDF available
On December 1, 2020, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in CIC Services v. Internal Revenue Service, a case that could resolve conflicts resulting from the way courts have interpreted the Tax Anti-...
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-23 · Reports · 30,691 words · PDF available
The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) culminated years of effort by state and local government officials and business interests to control, if not eliminate, the imposition of unfunded inter...
The Defense Production Act Committee (DPAC): A Primer
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-23 · Resources · 1,552 words · PDF available
The Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA, 50 U.S.C. §4501 et seq.) confers on the President authorities to mobilize domestic industry in service of national defense, broadly defined, including emergenc...
U.S. International Food Assistance:An Overview
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-23 · Reports · 10,321 words · PDF available
The United States is one of the foremost donors of food, or the means to purchase food, to people around the world at risk of hunger. The goal of U.S. international food assistance programs is to prov...
Off-Label Use of Prescription Drugs
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-23 · Reports · 8,121 words · PDF available
When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug for sale in the United States, the approval includes a section entitled “Indications for Use.” This section lists the one or more diseases, ...
Money for Something: Music Licensing in the 21st Century
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-23 · Reports · 16,985 words · PDF available
Songwriters and recording artists are generally entitled to receive compensation for (1) reproductions, distributions, and public performances of the notes and lyrics they create (the musical works), ...
Huawei and U.S. Law
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-23 · Reports · 19,377 words · PDF available
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) has grown to be the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer since its founding in 1987 by a former engineer in China’s People’s Liberation Army...
Financial Transactions Taxes: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-23 · Reports · 3,537 words
Since the financial crisis and the ensuing 2008-2009 Great Recession, the idea of imposing a tax on financial transactions has appeared somewhat frequently in policy debates. At its most basic level, ...
Supreme Court Appointment Process: Consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-22 · Reports · 16,081 words · PDF available
The appointment of a Supreme Court Justice is an event of major significance in American politics. Each appointment is of consequence because of the enormous judicial power the Supreme Court exercises...
Long-Term Federal Management of Uranium Mill Tailings: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-22 · Reports · 12,720 words · PDF available
In the wake of increasing concerns in the 1970s about human health and environmental risks posed by inactive uranium mill tailings, Congress enacted the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of ...
The Rural Education Achievement Program: Title V-B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-22 · Reports · 3,824 words · PDF available
The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) is authorized by Part B of Title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, P.L. 114-95...
Wildlife Trade, COVID-19, and Other Zoonotic Diseases
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-19 · Resources · 1,640 words · PDF available
Introduction Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel virus: the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) charac...
Congressional Review Act Issues for the 117th Congress: The Lookback Mechanism and Effects of Disapproval
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-19 · Reports · 9,012 words · PDF available
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) (codified at 5 U.S.C. §§801-808) is a tool that Congress may use to pass legislation overturning a final rule issued by a federal agency. The CRA’s definition of rul...
An Analysis of the Geographic Distribution of the Mortgage Interest Deduction: Before and After the 2017 Tax Revision (P.L. 115-97)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-18 · Reports · 7,643 words · PDF available
Policymakers may be interested in the mortgage interest deduction (MID) because it is associated with homeownership and is one of the largest tax benefits available to homeowners in terms of forgone f...
Federal Crop Insurance: A Primer
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-18 · Reports · 21,772 words · PDF available
The federal crop insurance program (FCIP) offers farmers the opportunity to purchase insurance coverage against financial losses caused by a wide variety of perils, including certain adverse growing a...
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers and the TAA Reauthorization Act of 2015
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-17 · Reports · 8,023 words · PDF available
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAA) provides federal assistance to workers who have involuntarily lost their jobs due to foreign competition. It was last reauthorized by the Trade Adjustment...
Rules of Origin
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-17 · Resources · 1,502 words · PDF available
Background What are Rules of Origin? Rules of origin (ROO) are laws, regulations, and procedures used for ascertaining the “nationality” of imported products. ROO are important for many reasons, inclu...
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAA)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-17 · Resources · 1,537 words · PDF available
Overview and Program Rationale Reduced barriers to international trade are widely acknowledged to offer net benefits by expanding market access but may adversely affect domestic industries and workers...
The Facebook Antitrust Lawsuits and the Future of Merger Enforcement
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-16 · Posts · 2,451 words · PDF available
In December 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a group of 46 state attorneys general (state AGs) filed separate antitrust lawsuits against Facebook. Both lawsuits challenge the same conduct:...
The House Consensus Calendar: Establishment, Principal Features, and Practice in the 116th Congress (2019-2020)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-16 · Reports · 6,025 words · PDF available
Established in the 116th Congress (2019-2020) in clause 1 of House Rule XIII and clause 7 of House Rule XV, the Consensus Calendar provides an alternative route to the floor for certain unreported Hou...
Overview of FY2021 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-12 · Reports · 11,245 words · PDF available
This report describes actions taken to provide FY2021 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. The annual CJS appropriations act provides funding for the Dep...
Foreign Government-Sponsored Broadcast Programming
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-11 · Resources · 1,481 words · PDF available
Overview Congress has enacted several laws to enable U.S. citizens and the federal government to monitor attempts by foreign governments to influence public opinion on political matters. Nevertheless,...
House Conferees: Restrictions on Their Authority
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-09 · Reports · 1,468 words · PDF available
To resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a measure, Congress may establish a conference committee, composed of a House and a Senate delegation. Its task is to propose a final versio...
U.S. Farm Income Outlook: December 2020 Forecast
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-09 · Reports · 15,841 words · PDF available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that U.S. farm profitability—as measured by net farm income and net cash income—increased substantially in 2020 from 2019 levels. In nominal dollars ...
The Federal Reserve’s Response to COVID-19: Policy Issues
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-08 · Reports · 19,670 words · PDF available
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused widespread disruptions to the economy. The Federal Reserve (Fed) took multiple policy actions in response to the crisis, and Congress took t...
Agency Rescissions of Legislative Rules
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-08 · Reports · 17,791 words · PDF available
Federal administrative agencies carry out their statutorily prescribed responsibilities in many ways. Perhaps most significantly, agencies may, pursuant to congressionally delegated authority, promulg...
Mask Mandate: Does the Federal Aviation Administration Have Authority to Require Masks on Flights?
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-08 · Posts · 2,221 words · PDF available
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautions that although air circulation and filtration systems in passenger aircraft help reduce the spread of most viruses, sitting within six feet...
General State and Local Fiscal Assistance and COVID-19: Background and Available Data
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-08 · Reports · 3,358 words · PDF available
The sudden decline in economic output following the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has significantly altered the fiscal outlook for state and local governments. A sizable share of econom...
S.Con.Res. 5: The Budget Resolution for FY2021
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-08 · Reports · 4,432 words · PDF available
On February 5, 2021, the House and Senate adopted S.Con.Res. 5, a budget resolution for FY2021. While a budget resolution generally represents an agreement between the House and Senate on a budgetary ...
Two Supreme Court Cases to Test Limits on Foreign Sovereign Immunity for Holocaust Harms
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-05 · Posts · 2,693 words · PDF available
UPDATE: On February 3, 2021, the Supreme Court issued unanimous opinions in Germany and Hungary, holding that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) does not permit claims against foreign governm...
Overview of Funding Mechanisms in the Federal Budget Process, and Selected Examples
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-05 · Reports · 20,627 words · PDF available
Every year, Congress considers numerous pieces of legislation that would create or modify federal government programs and activities. The variety of approaches used across the federal budget to fund t...
Unrest at the Capitol: Potential Violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-05 · Posts · 1,644 words · PDF available
After the unrest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, sources reported that current and former military servicemembers were among the participants in the unrest. These reports prompted several Memb...
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Fair Access to Financial Services Rule
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-05 · Posts · 2,356 words · PDF available
On January 28, 2021, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that it had “paused publication” of its Fair Access to Financial Services final rule (Fair Access Rule or the Rule), ...
Federal Statutes Protecting Domesticated and Captive Animals
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-05 · Reports · 10,348 words · PDF available
A number of federal laws aim to protect the health, safety, and well-being of animals under human control. These laws extend to pets, domesticated livestock, service animals, test subjects, and wild a...
The Federal Minimum Wage: In Brief
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-04 · Reports · 4,363 words · PDF available
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), enacted in 1938, is the federal law that establishes the minimum hourly wage that must be paid to all covered workers. The minimum wage provisions of the FLSA have...
U.S. Trade Policy Primer: Frequently Asked Questions
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-04 · Reports · 27,626 words · PDF available
Congress plays a major role in U.S. trade policy through its legislative and oversight authority. Since the end of World War II, U.S. trade policy has focused on fostering an open, rules-based global ...
The Bureau of Indian Affairs: FY2021 Appropriations
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-04 · Resources · 1,558 words · PDF available
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), in the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), administers programs for tribal government, social services, law enforcement, infrastructure, and trust land and natur...
The Alaska Roadless Rule: Eliminating Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs) in the Tongass National Forest
Congressional Research Service · 2021-02-03 · Reports · 11,944 words · PDF available
Inventoried roadless areas (IRAs) are areas of the National Forest System (NFS) identified administratively by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS). IRAs are managed according...