WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12500) on the Bureau of Land Management, fiscal 2024 appropriations on Sept. 25, 2023, by natural resources policy specialist Carol Hardy Vincent. Here are excerpts: * * * Bureau of Land Management: FY2024 Appropriations The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in the Department of the Interior (DOI), manages 245 million acres of federal land, nearly all in the West. Under its multiple-us more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11719) on China primer - the People's Liberation Army on Sept. 26, 2023, by Asian affairs analyst Caitlin Campbell. Here are excerpts: * * * China Primer: The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Overview The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military arm of the Communist Party of China, the ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC or China). Since 2021, the U.S. Department o more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12500) on the federal management of sea lampreys in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain on Sept. 25, 2023, by natural resources policy specialist Pervaze A. Sheikh. Here are excerpts: * * * Federal Management of Sea Lampreys in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), sometimes known as the vampire fish (Figure 1), is a parasitic fish species native to th more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10975) on major functions of the Department of Labor on Sept. 25, 2023, by labor policy analyst Elizabeth Weber Handwerker: * * * Major Functions of the U.S. Department of Labor Creation of the Department of Labor The Department of Labor (DOL) was created in 1913 by "An Act to create a Department of Labor" (P.L. 62-426). Its purpose was "to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of t more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12501) on private funding for election administration on Sept. 26, 2023, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton: * * * Private Funding for Election Administration State and local election offices sometimes receive private donations of money, goods, or services to help them carry out their work. Following the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10281) on Uyghurs on Sept. 22, 2023, by Asian affairs specialist Thomas Lum and foreign affairs analyst Michael A. Weber. Here are excerpts: * * * China Primer: Uyghurs Uyghurs (also spelled "Uighurs") are a Muslim ethnic minority group living primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in the far northwest of the People's Republic of China (PRC or China). They have garne more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11790) on Afro-descendants of Latin America on Sept. 27, 2023, by senior research librarian Carla Y. Davis-Castro. Here are excerpts: * * * Afro-descendants of Latin America: Selected Resources The United Nations (U.N.) estimates that approximately "200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent live in the Americas." Congress has long demonstrated interest in the more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12255) on campaign finance policy and a lapse in federal appropriations on Sept. 27, 2023, by American national government specialist R. Sam Garrett: * * * Campaign Finance Policy and a Lapse in Federal Appropriations: Frequently Asked Questions Current appropriations for the federal government expire on September 30, 2023. If federal funds are not appropriated for FY2024 before October  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12250) on climate change and extreme heat on Sept. 25, 2023, by environmental policy analyst Jonathan D. Haskett. Here are excerpts: * * * Climate Change and Extreme Heat The United States experienced a series of record-breaking heat waves during the summer of 2023. The heat waves brought extreme temperatures to various U.S. regions, including Puerto Rico, the southern Plains, and the N more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12257) on converting office space to residential housing on Sept. 27, 2023, by macroeconomic policy analyst Lida R. Weinstock: * * * Converting Office Space to Residential Housing Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, telework has increased on average - estimates vary, but several sources show a significant increase - leaving some office space unused or underutilized. According to the Natio more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12252) on criminal defendants charged by type of offense on Sept. 26, 2023, by American national government analyst Barry J. McMillion. Here are excerpts: * * * Recent Caseload Statistics for U.S. District Courts: Criminal Defendants Charged by Type of Offense The Administrative Office of U.S. Courts regularly compiles data related to the workload of the federal courts. This Insight pro more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12253) on criminal defendants charged with immigration-related offenses on Sept. 26, 2023, by American national government analyst Barry J. McMillion. Here are excerpts: * * * Recent Caseload Statistics for U.S. District Courts: Criminal Defendants Charged with Immigration-Related Offenses This Insight provides an overview and analysis of criminal defendants charged with immigration-rel more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12254) on the DOD Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation on Sept. 27, 2023, by Cameron M. Keys, defense logistics and resource management policy analyst, and Alexandra G. Neenan, defense infrastructure policy analyst: * * * FY2024 NDAA: Department of Defense Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) The U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) Office of Cost Assessment  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12258) on employment eligibility for migrants released from DHS custody at the southwest border on Sept. 27, 2023, by immigration policy specialists Holly Straut-Eppsteiner and Audrey Singer. Here are excerpts: * * * Employment Eligibility for Migrants Released from DHS Custody at the Southwest Border In the past three years, the United States has experienced record-high levels of migra more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12251) on federal employee pay in the context of a government shutdown on Sept. 26, 2023, by Taylor N. Riccard, government organization and management analyst: * * * Federal Employee Pay in the Context of a Government Shutdown As Congress debates a continuing appropriations measure to avoid a lapse in appropriations and government shutdown at the beginning of the new fiscal year, Members more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12249) on overview of Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act on Sept. 25, 2023, by financial economics analysts Paul Tierno and Andrew P. Scott: * * * An Overview of H.R. 4766, Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act The House Committee on Financial Services on July 27, 2023, ordered to be reported an amendment in the nature of a substitute of the Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act (H.R. 4766) more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11897) on Russia's war against Ukraine - European Union responses and U.S.-EU relations on Sept. 26, 2023, by European Affairs specialist Kristin Archick: * * * Russia's War Against Ukraine: European Union Responses and U.S.-EU Relations The 27-member European Union (EU) has implemented a range of policy responses to Russia's war against Ukraine. EU actions and coordination with the Unit more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12256) on security cooperation on Sept. 27, 2023, by Christina L. Arabia, security assistance, security cooperation and global arms trade analyst, and Ilana Krill, research assistant. Here are excerpts: * * * FY2024 NDAA: Security Cooperation Background The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) broadly defines "security cooperation" (also known as SC) as department interactions with foreign more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11046) on the recent appellate decisions of interest to lawmakers, Sept. 18 - Sept. 24, 2023, on Sept. 25, 2023, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (September 18, 2023-September 24, 2023) The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal di more PR