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25 plain-English definitions of the agencies, programs, laws and procedures that come up in bills and votes.
AI-AssistedWritten with AI from official sources. The official record always prevails. How we use AI.- E-Rate
- Program
A Universal Service Fund program, run by the FCC, that discounts internet and telecommunications services for schools and libraries.
In Bills:S.J.Res. 7
- Earmark
- Budget and Tax
Money in a spending bill that a member of Congress requests for a specific project in their state or district. The House calls them Community Project Funding and the Senate congressionally directed spending; both publish who asked for each one.
- Earned Income Tax CreditEITC
- Budget and Tax
A refundable tax credit for low- and moderate-income workers. The amount depends on income and the number of children.
- Easement
- Legal Term
A legal right to use someone else's land for a specific purpose, such as a road or pipeline, or a limit on how land may be used, such as a conservation easement that bars development.
- Economic Development Administration
- Agency
The Commerce Department agency that makes grants for economic development in distressed communities.
- Election Assistance CommissionEAC
- Agency
The independent agency that helps states run federal elections. It sets voluntary voting system guidelines, certifies voting equipment and distributes election grants.
- Elementary and Secondary Education ActESEA
- Law
The main federal law for K-12 education, first passed in 1965. It funds schools with many low-income students through Title I and sets testing and accountability rules. Its current version is the Every Student Succeeds Act.
- Eminent Domain
- Legal Term
The government's power to take private property for public use. The Fifth Amendment requires just compensation.
- Employment and Training Administration
- Agency
The Labor Department agency that funds job training and employment services and oversees state unemployment insurance programs.
- En Bloc
- Congress
Acting on several items together with a single vote, such as a package of amendments or nominations.
- Endangered Species Act
- Law
The 1973 law that protects species listed as endangered or threatened and the habitat they depend on.
In Bills:H.R. 845
- Energy Information Administration
- Agency
The Energy Department's independent statistics agency for energy data, analysis and forecasts.
- Engrossed Bill
- Congress
The official copy of a bill as passed by one chamber, including any floor amendments, which is then sent to the other chamber.
- Enrolled Bill
- Congress
The final copy of a bill passed in identical form by both chambers, signed by the Speaker and the president of the Senate or their stand-ins and presented to the president.
- Entitlement Program
- Budget and Tax
A program that pays benefits to everyone who meets the eligibility rules set in law, such as Social Security or Medicare. Its spending is mandatory.
- Environmental Impact Statement
- Law
A detailed study, required by the National Environmental Policy Act for major federal actions, of a project's likely effects on the environment and of alternatives to it.
- Environmental Protection AgencyEPA
- Agency
The independent agency that writes and enforces rules under federal environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, and helps fund state water infrastructure.
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In Bills:S.J.Res. 31H.J.Res. 89
- Environmental Quality Incentives ProgramEQIP
- Program
A USDA program that shares the cost of conservation practices on working farms, ranches and forests, such as improving soil health or water quality.
- Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionEEOC
- Agency
The independent agency that enforces federal laws against job discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information.
- Estate Tax
- Budget and Tax
A federal tax on property passed on at death. It applies only to estates above a large exemption amount, so most estates owe none.
- Excise Tax
- Budget and Tax
A tax on a specific good or activity, such as gasoline, alcohol, tobacco or airline tickets, usually collected from the producer or seller.
- Executive Office for Immigration ReviewEOIR
- Agency
The Justice Department office that runs the immigration courts, where immigration judges decide deportation cases and asylum claims.
In Bills:S.J.Res. 190
- Executive Office of the PresidentEOP
- Agency
The offices that directly support the president, including the White House staff, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Security Council and the U.S. Trade Representative.
- Executive Order
- Law
A written directive from the president to federal agencies on how to carry out the law. It must rest on the president's authority under the Constitution or a statute; a later president can revoke it, and Congress or the courts can limit it.
In Bills:H.R. 2550S.J.Res. 81
- Export-Import Bank of the United StatesEXIM
- Agency
The federal export credit agency. It provides loans, loan guarantees and insurance that help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services when private financing falls short.