WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12258) on financial incentives for residential energy efficiency and electrification projects on Aug. 2, 2023, by energy policy analyst Martin C. Offutt. Here are excerpts: * * * The Inflation Reduction Act: Financial Incentives for Residential Energy Efficiency and Electrification Projects Introduction P.L. 117-169, commonly known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), includes more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11219) on regulating drinking water contaminants on Aug. 2, 2023, by environmental policy analyst Elena H. Humphreys: * * * Regulating Drinking Water Contaminants: EPA PFAS Actions The detection of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in some public water supplies has generated public concern and increased attention to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) acti more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12389) on Russia's Wagner Group in Africa on Aug. 3, 2023. The white paper was written by African affairs specialists Alexis Arief and Lauren Ploch Blanchard, Middle Eastern affairs specialist Lauren Ploch Blanchard and Russian and European affairs analyst Andrew S. Bowen. Here are excerpts: * * * Russia's Wagner Group in Africa: Issues for Congress Overview The Wagner Group, a nomina more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12466) on the State Department passport services on Aug. 2, 2023, by foreign affairs analyst Cory R. Gill. Here are excerpts: * * * State Department Passport Services: Background and Issues for Congress Background The U.S. Department of State (State Department, the Department) defines a passport as "an internationally recognized travel document that verifies the identity and nationality more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12467) on the U.S. Center for SafeSport on Aug. 2, 2023, by Ben Wilhelm, government organization and management analyst: * * * U.S. Center for SafeSport: A Primer The U.S. Center for SafeSport is the primary amateur athletics organization in the United States with responsibility for preventing and responding to sexual and other abuse. Between its creation in 2017 and December 2022, the Ce more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11255) on the U.S.-Papua New Guinea relations on Aug. 2, 2023, by research assistant Joseph O. Yinusa and Asian affairs specialist Thomas Lum. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-Papua New Guinea Relations: Issues for Congress Overview The Independent State of Papua New Guinea (PNG) lies in a region of the southwest Pacific known as Melanesia on the eastern side of the island of New Guinea.  more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12212) on the National Emergencies Act expenditure reports on Aug. 3, 2023, by health care financing analyst Megan B. Houston: * * * National Emergencies Act Expenditure Reports The President is authorized to declare a national emergency pursuant to the National Emergencies Act of 1976 (NEA; P.L. 94-412; 50 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.1601 et seq.), which enables the President to invoke various standby more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IF12464) on Niger on July 31, 2023, by African Affairs specialist Alexis Arieff. Here are excerpts: * * * Niger: In Focus On July 26, 2023, military officers detained elected President Mohamed Bazoum and asserted that they had seized power. On July 30, West African leaders announced sanctions and threatened military action if Bazoum is not reinstated, while pro-junta protesters attacked the more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12208) on public health funding and the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 on July 31, 2023, by health policy analyst Kavya Seka: * * * Public Health Funding and the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA; P.L. 118-5) affects federal public health agencies - specifically the nine operating divisions that make up the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) with more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12209) on summary of funding authorizations July 31, 2023, by defense budget analyst Brendan W. McGarry. Here are excerpts: * * * FY2024 NDAA: Summary of Funding Authorizations Of the $910.8 billion requested in the FY2024 President's budget for activities within the national defense budget function, $874.2 billion fell within the scope of the proposed National Defense Authorization Act f more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11016) on overview of the indictment of former President Trump related to the 2020 election on Aug. 3, 2023, by legislative attorney Peter G. Berris: * * * Overview of the Indictment of Former President Trump Related to the 2020 Election On August 1, 2023, Special Counsel Jack Smith announced that former President Trump had been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Co more PR

WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47637) on July 28, 2023, entitled "Immigration Judge Hiring and Projected Impact on the Immigration Courts Backlog" by immigration policy analyst Holly Straut-Eppsteiner. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Immigration courts operate within the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR's immigration judges (IJs) adjudicate removal proceedings, during which they more PR

WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R42072) on July 28, 2023, entitled "Legislative Branch Agency Appointments: History, Processes and Recent Actions" by Congress specialist Ida A. Brudnick. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The leaders of the legislative branch agencies and entities - the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Library of Congress (LOC), the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Government Publishing Off more PR

WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47636) on July 28, 2023, entitled "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Overview and Issues for Congress" by natural resources policy analyst Eva Lipiec. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency within the Department of Commerce (DOC), is the principal federal agency tasked with understanding and predicting changes in c more PR

WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47636) on July 28, 2023, entitled "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Overview and Issues for Congress." (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Issues for Congress Like some agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, and unlike some other agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NOAA does not have an organic act that describes the agen more PR