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Beginning with the 111th Congress, all legislative measures are assigned at least one Subject term drawn from a new list of terms presented on this page. The Subject terms are designed to better group legislation, to improve consistency, and to shorten the time it takes to add Subject terms to bills. Subject terms can also be assigned from a large list of terms corresponding to geographic areas (foreign and domestic), U.S. government entities, and congressional committees. See the CRS Named-Entity Subject Terms for a complete list of those terms. Subject term assignment is cumulative; that is, it is added to in order to reflect revisions (if any) made to the measure as it moves through the legislative process.
When looking at the Subject terms assigned to a bill or resolution, you will notice that the first term on the list appears out of alphabetical order. This is the Top Term for the measure, and it corresponds to the broad category that best describes the concerns of the measure's text. Top Terms are represented by the bold "umbrella" terms on the list below.
Terms assigned to legislation from the 110th and earlier Congresses came from a list that was based upon a thesaurus known as the Legislative Indexing Vocabulary (LIV). CRS plans to convert the LIV terms assigned to bills from the 93rd through the 110th Congresses to the new Subject terms as time and resources permit. The conversion will be gradual and will be completed over the coming months.
All terms that have been assigned to bills in the Bill Summary and Status files may be located by clicking on the Subject Terms Browse Page, an alphabetical list of terms used to date that shows their frequency of assignment.
This list was originally published on January 12, 2009. The latest changes are in italics.
Agriculture
and Food
Agricultural conservation and pollution
Agricultural
education
Agricultural insurance
Agricultural labor
Agricultural marketing
and promotion
Agricultural pests
Agricultural practices and innovations
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Agricultural research
Agricultural
trade
Animal and plant health
Aquaculture
Farmland
Food industry
and services
Food assistance and relief
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Fruit and vegetables
General agriculture matters
Grain
Horticulture
and plants
Meat
Seafood
Animals
Animal protection and human-animal
relationships
Birds
Endangered and threatened species
Fishes
Livestock
Mammals
Reptiles
Veterinary medicine and animal diseases
Wildlife
conservation and habitat protection
Armed Forces and National Security
Alliances
Defense spending
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Military assistance and sales, agreements, alliances
Military cemeteries and funerals
Military civil functions
Military command and structure
Military facilities and property
Military history
Military law
Military operations and strategy
Military personnel and
dependents
Military procurement, research, weapons development
Military
readiness
National Guard and reserves
Nuclear weapons
Strategic materials
and reserves
Subversive activities
Veterans' medical care
Veterans'
education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
Veterans'
pensions and compensation
War and emergency powers
Arts, Culture,
Religion
Art, artists, authorship
Books and print media
Cultural
exchanges and relations
Digital media
Historical and cultural resources
Humanities programs funding
Language and bilingual programs
Libraries
and archives
Literature
Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers
Music
Performing arts
Religion
Sound recording
Television and film
Civil
Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Abortion
Age discrimination
Detention of persons
Disability and health-based discrimination
Due process
and equal protection
Employment discrimination
Ethnic studies
First
Amendment rights
Freedom of information
Pornography
Property rights
Protest and dissent
Racial and ethnic relations
Right of privacy
Sex,
gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Voting rights
Women's rights
Commerce
Business ethics
Business investment and capital
Business records
Competition
and antitrust
Consumer affairs
Corporate finance and management
Gambling
General business and commerce matters
Industrial facilities
Industrial
policy and productivity
Intellectual property
Manufacturing
Marketing
and advertising
Minority and disadvantaged businesses
Product development
and innovation
Product safety and quality
Retail and wholesale trades
Small business
Trade secrets and economic espionage
Women in business
Congress
Congressional agencies
Congressional committees
Congressional elections
Congressional leadership
Congressional officers and employees
Congressional
operations and organization
Congressional oversight
House of Representatives
Legislative rules and procedure
Members of Congress
Senate
U.S. Capitol
Crime
and Law Enforcement
Assault and harassment offenses
Computer crimes and identity theft
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Crime prevention
Crime victims
Crimes against animals and natural resources
Crimes against
children
Crimes against property
Crimes against women
Criminal justice
information and records
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Drug trafficking
and controlled substances
Firearms and explosives (changed 3/24/2009)
Fraud offenses
Hate crimes
Investigation, prosecution, interrogation
methods
Juvenile crime and gang violence
Law enforcement administration
and funding
Law enforcement officers
Organized crime
Sex offenses
Smuggling and
trafficking
Terrorism
Violent crime
White-collar crime
Economics
and Public Finance
Appropriations
Budget deficits and national
debt
Budget process
Economic development
Economic performance and
conditions
Economic theory
Government lending and loan guarantees (changed 3/24/2009)
Government trust funds
Inflation and prices
Monetary policy
State and local finance
User charges
and fees
Education
Academic performance and assessments
Adult education and literacy
Area studies and international education
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Educational
facilities and institutions
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Foreign language
General education
matters
Higher education
Literacy and language arts
Minority education
Preschool education
School administration
Special education
Student aid and college costs
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Vocational education
Women's education
Emergency
Management
Accidents
Civil disturbances
Disaster relief and
insurance
Emergency communications systems
Emergency planning and evacuation
Fires
Homeland security
Natural disasters
Energy
Alternative and renewable resources
Coal
Electric power generation and
transmission
Energy assistance for the poor and aged
Energy efficiency
and conservation
Energy prices
Energy research
Energy revenues and
royalties
Energy storage, supplies, demand
General energy matters
Hybrid, electric, and advanced technology vehicles
Lighting and heating
Motor fuels
Nuclear power
Oil and gas
Public utilities and utility
rates
Environmental Protection
Air quality
Climate
change
Ecology
Environmental assessment,
monitoring, research
Environmental regulatory procedures
Environmental technology
Hazardous wastes
and toxic substances
Marine pollution
Noise pollution
Pollution liability
Radioactive
wastes and releases
Soil pollution
Solid waste and recycling
Water
quality
Families
Adoption and foster care
Adult
day care
Child care and development
Child safety and welfare
Domestic violence and
child abuse
Family relationships
Marriage and family status
Separation, divorce, custody, support
Teenage
pregnancy
Finance and Financial Sector
Accounting and
auditing
Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Banking and financial institutions
regulation
Bankruptcy
Commodities markets
Consumer credit
Currency
Financial
crises and failures
Financial literacy
Financial services and investments
Insurance industry and regulation
Interest and interest rates
Real estate
business
Securities
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Buy American requirements
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Foreign and international corporations
Foreign loans and debt
Free trade
and trade barriers
Foreign and international banking
International monetary
system and foreign exchange
Normal trade relations, most-favored-nation treatment
Tariffs
Trade adjustment assistance
Trade agreements and negotiations
Trade restrictions
U.S. and foreign investments
Government Operations
and Politics
Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advisory
bodies
Census and government statistics
Commemorative events and holidays
Community life and organization
Congressional-executive
branch relations
Congressional tributes
District of Columbia affairs
Elections,
voting, political campaign regulation
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Federal preemption
Federally chartered organizations
Government buildings,
facilities, and property
Government corporations and government-sponsored
enterprises
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government
ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government information and archives
Government investigations
Government liability
Intergovernmental
relations
Licensing and registrations
National symbols
Performance measurement
Political movements and philosophies (added 4/10/2009)
Political parties
and affiliation
Political representation
Postal service
Presidents
and presidential powers
Public-private cooperation
Public contracts and procurement
Public participation
and lobbying
State and local government operations
U.S. territories and
protectorates
Health
Aging
Allergies
Allied
health services
Alternative treatments
Birth defects
Blood and blood diseases
Cancer
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Cell biology and embryology
Child health
Comprehensive health care
Dental care
Digestive and metabolic diseases
Disability and paralysis
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Drug and radiation therapy
Drug safety, medical
device, and laboratory regulation
Emergency medical services
Environmental health
Family planning and birth control
General health and health care finance matters
Genetics
Health care costs and insurance
Health care quality
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities
and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion
and preventive care
Health
technology, devices, supplies
Hearing, speech, and vision care
Hereditary
and development disorders
HIV/AIDS
Home and outpatient care
Hospital
care
Immunology
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Long-term, rehabilitative,
and terminal care
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical ethics
Medical
research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare
Mental health
Minority health
Musculoskeletal
and skin diseases
Neurological disorders
Nursing
Nutrition and diet
Organ and tissue donation and transplantation
Physical fitness and lifestyle
Prescription drugs
Sex and reproductive health
Sexually transmitted diseases
Surgery and anesthesia
Women's health
World health
Housing
and Community Development
Cooperative and condominium housing
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Housing and community development funding
Housing finance and home ownership
Housing for the elderly and disabled
Housing industry, construction, standards
Housing supply and affordability
Low- and moderate-income housing
Public housing
Residential rehabilitation
and home repair
Rural conditions and development
Small towns
Urban
and suburban affairs and development
Immigration
Border
security and unlawful immigration
Citizenship and naturalization
Foreign
labor
Human trafficking
Immigrant health and welfare
Immigration status
and procedures
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Visas and passports
International
Affairs
Arab-Israeli relations
Arms control and nonproliferation
Collective security
Conflicts and wars
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans
abroad
Foreign aid and international relief
General foreign operations
matters
Human rights
International exchange and broadcasting
International
finance and foreign exchange
International law and treaties
International
organizations and cooperation
Militias and paramilitary groups
Multilateral
development programs
Reconstruction and stabilization
Rule of law and
government transparency
Sanctions
Sovereignty, recognition, national governance
and status
War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity
Labor and Employment
Employee benefits and
pensions
Employment and training programs
Employment discrimination and
employee rights
Employee leave
Labor standards
Labor-management relations
Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor
Unemployment
Wages and earnings
Women's employment
Worker safety and health
Youth employment and child labor
Law
Administrative remedies
Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
Civil actions and liability
Constitution and constitutional
amendments
Contracts and agency
Judicial procedure and administration
Evidence and witnesses
Federal appellate courts
Federal district courts
Judges
Judicial review and appeals
Jurisdiction and venue
Lawyers and legal services
Legal fees and court costs (added 3/24/2009)
Specialized courts
State and local courts
Supreme Court
Native
Americans
Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
Federal-Indian relations
General Native American affairs matters
Indian claims
Indian lands and
resources rights
Indian social and development programs
Private Legislation
Public
Lands and Natural Resources
Earth sciences and observation
Forests
General public lands matters
Historic sites and heritage areas
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Metals
Mining
Monuments and memorials
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Polar
regions
Seashores and lakeshores
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife
refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Science, Technology, Communications
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Astronomy
Atmospheric
science and weather
Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies (changed 3/24/2009)
Computers and information
technology
General science and technology matters
International scientific
cooperation
Internet and video services
News media and reporting (added 3/24/2009)
Photography and imaging
Political
advertising
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Research ethics
Science and engineering education
Spacecraft and satellites
Space flight and exploration
Technology assessment (added 3/24/2009)
Technology transfer and commercialization
Telecommunication rates and fees
Telephone and wireless communication
Time and calendar
Social Sciences and History
Archaeology
and anthropology
Behavioral sciences
Military history
Policy sciences
Presidential administrations
U.S. history
World history
Social
Welfare
Disability assistance
National and community service
Poverty and welfare assistance
Social security and elderly assistance
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Sports
and Recreation
Athletes
Games and hobbies
Olympic games
Outdoor recreation
Professional sports
School athletics
Sports and
recreation facilities
Taxation
Capital gains tax
Employment taxes
General
taxation matters
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Income tax
deferral
Income tax exclusion
Income tax rates
Sales and excise taxes
State and local taxation
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Tax reform and tax simplification
Tax treatment of families
Tax-exempt organizations
Taxation of
foreign income
Transfer and inheritance taxes
Transportation
and Public Works
Aviation and airports
Coast guard
Commuting
Infrastructure
development
Marine and inland water transportation
Motor carriers
Motor vehicles
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Pedestrians and bicycling
Pipelines
Public transit
Railroads
Roads and highways
Transportation costs
Transportation
employees
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security
Travel and tourism
Water Resources Development
Aquatic
ecology
Dams and canals
Floods and storm protection
Hydrology and
hydrography
Lakes and rivers
Water resources funding
Water storage
Water use and supply
Watersheds
Wetlands
Last updated April 10, 2009