This policy brief is the first in a series investigating potential new legislative initiatives in the 120th Congress, which will take office in January 2027. Most Americans would rather get health care at home than move into an institution such as an assisted living facility. Currently, qualified recipients can have Medicare pay for a nurse or therapist in a facility, but it generally does not pay someone who helps an older adult bathe, dress, or cook as a form of long-term, in-home care. Congress has attempted to change how home health care is delivered and reimbursed under the Medicare program, and a few pieces of legislation appear poised to be introduced in the upcoming 120th Congress on this topic.

The U.S. Constitution contains an explicit right to freedom of religion in the 1st Amendment. But what does this right mean in practice? The answer is complicated. The courts have adopted evolving standards over time, highlighting the difficulty of translating abstract rights into practice.

The Bill of Rights is a statement of the basic liberties guaranteed by the first ten Amendments to the Constitution. These rights were not included in the original Constitution but were promised as a condition for ratification (at least four states said they would not ratify without these protections). In this brief, we discuss how these rights have evolved to cover actions by state and local governments.