The Land and Water Conservation Fund

"Investing in nature is investing in the future. The Land & Water Conservation Fund was created in 1965 to protect the nation's land and heritage for use by all Americans. But without action from Congress, it is set to expire today. If this happens, it will rob local communities of future conservation, historic preservation and recreation opportunities.
 
Explore 5 amazing public lands that were made possible by the Land & Water Conservation Fund...."
Land and Conservation Fund

SHORT-TERM ENERGY AND WINTER FUELS OUTLOOK

"EIA projects average U.S. household expenditures for natural gas, heating oil, and propane during the upcoming winter heating season (October 1 through March 31) will be 10%, 25%, and 18% lower, respectively, than last winter, because of lower fuel prices and lower heating demand. Forecast lower heating demand and relatively unchanged prices contribute to electricity expenditures that are 3% lower than last winter (Winter Fuels Outlook slideshow)..."

Short term energy outlook

Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

"The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region’s future. Issues such as Arctic sovereignty claims; commercial shipping through the Arctic; Arctic oil, gas, and mineral exploration; endangered Arctic species; and increased military operations in the Arctic could cause the region in coming years to become an arena of international cooperation or competition.
The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial political, economic, energy, environmental, and other interests in the region. Decisions that Congress, the executive branch, foreign governments, international organizations, and commercial firms make on Arctic-related issues could significantly affect these interests.

This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, and refers readers to more in-depth CRS reports on specific Arctic-related issues. Congressional readers with questions about an issue discussed in this report should contact the author or authors of the section discussing that issue. The authors are identified by footnote at the start of each section..."
Arctic region

Women Now at the Head of the Class, Lead Men in College Attainment

"In 1940, under 5 percent of the U.S. population held a bachelor’s degree. Men, at 5.5 percent, were more likely than women at 3.8 percent, to have a college education. Although the 1.7 percentage point gap may appear small, it was big relative to the portion of women with bachelor’s degrees (it would have taken a 45 percent increase among women for them to match men).

Now, nearly 75 years after the Census Bureau began collecting these statistics, the educational attainment of our population has increased to 30 percent -and the gender balance has shifted. For the first time since measurement began in 1940, women were more likely than men to have a bachelor’s degree..."
College attainment

Disconnected Youth: A Look at 16 to 24 Year Olds Who Are Not Working or In School

"In recent years, policymakers and youth advocates have focused greater attention on young people who are neither working nor in school. Generally characterized as “disconnected,” these youth may also lack strong social networks that provide assistance in the form of employment connections and other supports such as housing and financial assistance. Without attachment to work or school, disconnected youth may be vulnerable to experiencing negative outcomes as they transition to adulthood. The purpose of the report is to provide context for Congress about the characteristics of disconnected youth, and the circumstances in which they live. These data may be useful as Congress considers policies to retain students in high school and to provide opportunities for youth to obtain job training and employment..."
Disconnected youth

Improving Access to Chronic Disease Data

"Interested in chronic disease data, risk factors, health indicators, and policy measures? CDC is making all these data and indicators much easier to access and use. Use the data to describe the burden of chronic disease as well as common risk factors, identify research gaps, monitor population trends, and evaluate programs.

Chronic disease data and health indicators are widely used by researchers, scientists, students, health communicators, health educators, policy-makers, epidemiologists, state and local health departments, and many more. Since the recent launch of CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) new open data portal, there have been over 1.3 million views to 105 chronic disease data sets totaling over 33 million rows of data. The drive to bring this data together in one place with common tools was to make CDC's chronic disease data easier to access and use by both current and new audiences. In keeping with the Federal Government's Open Data Initiative, this initiative is intended to promote openness, interoperability, and innovation..."
Chronic disease data

Protecting Kids from Environmental Exposure

"Children’s rapid development during the fetal period through early childhood makes them more vulnerable to environmental exposure. Contact the nearest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit to learn how to protect your child from exposure to health hazards in the environment.

What do these situations have in common?

• You're renovating an older home. While you're sanding window frames, some paint chips fall on the floor. Your toddler puts them in his mouth.
• You live near a former industrial site. Your child loves playing in the dirt—and you've caught her eating mud pies.
• You enjoy gardening and use pesticides to protect your garden. But you're pregnant and wonder if pesticide exposure could harm your unborn child.

If you guessed that in each situation, children are exposed to harmful substances in their environments, you're right!..."
Environmental Exposures

Healthy Pets Healthy People

"Keeping Pets Healthy Keeps People Healthy Too!

Studies have shown that the bond between people and their pets can increase fitness, lower stress, and bring happiness to their owners. But there's something else you should know.

Pets sometimes carry germs that can make people sick. The diseases people get from animals are known as zoonotic (zoe-oh-NOT-ic) diseases.

It is hard to know which animals could be carrying zoonotic diseases, especially since pets carrying these germs often look healthy and normal. Here are some tips that can help you and your pets stay healthy:

• Take your pet to its veterinarian regularly so it stays in good health.
• Practice good hygiene around your pets so they don't unintentionally pass germs to you.
• Learn about diseases different types of pets can spread - just in case..."

Pets

National Inventory of Dams

"Congress first authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to inventory dams in the United States with the National Dam Inspection Act (Public Law 92-367) of 1972. The NID was first published in 1975, with a few updates as resources permitted over the next ten years. The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-662) authorized the Corps to maintain and periodically publish an updated NID, with re-authorization and a dedicated funding source provided under the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-3). The Corps also began close collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state regulatory offices to obtain more accurate and complete information. The National Dam Safety and Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-310) and the Dam Safety Act of 2006 reauthorized the National Dam Safety Program and included the maintenance and update of the NID by the Corps. Most recently, the NID was reauthorized as part of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014.

The NID consists of dams meeting at least one of the following criteria;
1) High hazard classification - loss of one human life is likely if the dam fails,
2) Significant hazard classification - possible loss of human life and likely significant property or environmental destruction,
3) Equal or exceed 25 feet in height and exceed 15 acre-feet in storage,
4) Equal or exceed 50 acre-feet storage and exceed 6 feet in height..."

Dams

Global Legal Monitor

"The Global Legal Monitor is an online publication from the Law Library of Congress covering legal news and developments worldwide. It is updated frequently and draws on information from official national legal publications and reliable press sources. You can find previous news by searching the Global Legal Monitor..."
Global Legal Monitor

Adult Obesity in the U.S

"Adult obesity remains high across the U.S. Learn what you can do to get to a healthy weight.

Obesity is a common, serious, and costly health issue that affects people in every state in the nation. New data show that at least 1 of 5 adults in every state has obesity. This condition is linked to some of the leading causes of death, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Obesity and the health problems it causes cost the U.S. health care system as much as $147 billion per year.

States differ in their levels of obesity.

The percentage of people with obesity varies from state to state, and the problem is worse in some parts of the country than in others. The percentage of people with obesity also varies by other factors, such as race and ethnicity. These differences may be partly due to difference in people's access to healthy foods and safe places to be physically active. Some Americans have less access to stores and markets that sell healthy, affordable food such as fruits and vegetables. Safe routes for walking or biking do not exist in some neighborhoods. Some communities do not have parks and recreation centers that people can get to easily..."
Obesity

Child Nutrition Programs: Spending and Policy Options

"Several federal programs support children’s nutritional needs. In 2014, the federal government spent about $20 billion to reimburse schools, child care centers, and after-school programs for children’s meals. Those programs benefit mainly school-age children from low income households. Other nutrition programs provide benefits directly to such households: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly the Food Stamp program) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)..."
Child nutrition

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Supreme Court: A Legal Analysis of Young v. United Parcel Service

"In 2015, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Young v. United Parcel Service. 1 In the case, a United Parcel Service (UPS) worker named Peggy Young challenged her employer’s refusal to grant her a light-duty work assignment while she was pregnant, claiming that UPS’s actions violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA).2 In a highly anticipated ruling, the Justices fashioned a new test for determining when an employer’s refusal to provide accommodations for a pregnant worker constitutes a violation of the PDA, and the Court sent the case back to the lower court for reconsideration in light of these new standards.
This report begins with a discussion of the facts in the Young case, followed by an overview of the PDA. The report then provides an analysis of the Young case, its implications, and a potential legislative response..."
Pregnancy

Your home loan toolkit: A step-by-step guide

Find information on home loans in this recently published toolkit from the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection  Bureau.
Home loans

Know Before You Owe: Making the mortgage process easier for you

"Since opening our doors over four years ago we’ve heard from homebuyers that the process of buying a home is overwhelming and confusing. We’ve heard that closing is often rushed, not allowing enough time to review before signing on the dotted line. For consumers who apply for most mortgages on or after October 3, 2015, the stress of shopping for a mortgage will be reduced, as our new mortgage disclosure rule takes effect. The new rule and disclosures ease the process of taking out a mortgage, helping you save money, and ensuring you know before you owe.

Here’s what will change:

• Four overlapping disclosure forms will be streamlined into two forms, the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure.
• You’ll have more time to review your closing documents. Currently, lenders must give you your HUD-1 Settlement Statement disclosure 24 hours in advance, if you request it; after October 3, you’ll receive your Closing Disclosure three business days before you sign the forms and accept the terms of your mortgage, no request needed.

Here’s how these changes will improve the mortgage process:

• The new forms will make it easier to understand complicated mortgage terms.
• The Loan Estimate makes it easier to shop around and compare loan offers from multiple lenders. Consider applying for loans from at least three lenders before choosing a mortgage so you can find the best deal for you.
• The three days required between getting your Closing Disclosure and signing on the dotted line allow you to make sure there aren’t major changes from the deal you were offered on your Loan Estimate. It also gives you time to ask your lender all the questions you might have about the terms of your mortgage and consult with a lawyer or housing counselor..."
  Mortgages