WASHINGTON, May 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. 98-684) on May 29, 2024, by senior research librarian Carla Y. Davis-Castro. Here are excerpts: * * * Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections This report provides the results of recent presidential elections in Latin America and the Caribbean. Below are three tables, organized by region, that include the date of each country's independence, the name of the most recently more PR

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12674) on May 24, 2024, by financial economics specialist Eva Su. Here are excerpts: * * * Americans' Investment Options in Capital Markets for Retirement One of the main ways Americans prepare for retirement is to invest in various financial assets. Their investment options include investing directly in stocks, bonds, and investment funds through individual brokerage accounts and invest more PR

WASHINGTON, May 31 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12678) on May 30, 2024, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte and financial economics analyst Andrew P. Scott. Here are excerpts: * * * Bank Resilience and Regulatory Improvement Act (H.R. 8337) On May 16, 2024, the House Financial Services Committee ordered an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 8337 to be reported. The bill would provide various forms of regulato more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10594) on May 28, 2024, by military manpower specialist Kristy N. Kamarck. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Concurrent Receipt of Military Retirement and VA Disability Concurrent receipt refers to a veteran's simultaneous receipt of two types of monetary benefits: military retired pay from the Department of Defense (DOD) and disability compensation from the Department of Veterans more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11218) on May 28, 2024, by foreign affairs analyst Joshua Klein. Here are excerpts: * * * Ecuador: Country Overview and U.S. Relations Ecuador is an ethnically and geographically diverse country of 18.5 million people, encompassing portions of South America's Pacific coast, Amazon Basin, and Andean highlands. Guayaquil, a major port city, has become a transit hub for cocaine trafficked  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12675) on May 24, 2024, by social policy analyst T. Lynn Sears. Here are excerpts: * * * A Hypothetical Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment Based on the Research Consumer Price Index for the Elderly Background The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers Social Security, a social insurance program that protects an insured worker and his or her eligible family members agai more PR

WASHINGTON, May 31 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11808) on May 30, 2024, by public finance analyst Gary Guenther: * * * The Internal Revenue Service's Free File Program (FFP): Current Status and Policy Issues The Internal Revenue Service first allowed individual income tax returns to be filed electronically (e-filed) through a pilot program involving five tax preparers during the 1986 tax filing season. Since then, e-filing has grown to more PR

WASHINGTON, May 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11218) on May 29, 2024, by foreign affairs analyst Joshua Klein. Here are excerpts: * * * Maldives: Background and Issues Facing Congress Background The Republic of Maldives is an archipelagic nation of approximately 515,000 people located in the Indian Ocean near strategic sea lanes southwest of Sri Lanka. About 188 of Maldives' 1,192 low-lying coral islands are inhabited. Maldives has more PR

WASHINGTON, May 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12676) on May 29, 2024, by Liana W. Rosen, international sanctions and financial crimes specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Introduction President Biden signed P.L. 118-50, Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes, into law on April 24, 2024. Division D, the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act, and subsequent  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10275) on May 23, 2024, by Asian affairs specialist Susan V. Lawrence. Here are excerpts: * * * Taiwan: Background and U.S. Relations Introduction Taiwan, which also calls itself the Republic of China (ROC), is a self-governing democracy of 23.4 million people located across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China. The United States terminated diplomatic relations with the ROC on January  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12370) on May 28, 2024, by natural resources policy specialists Anna E. Normand and Nicole T. Carter. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2024 Appropriations Congress generally funds the civil works activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in annual Energy and Water Development appropriations acts. These activities include the planning and construction more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10209) on May 23, 2024, by Asian affairs specialist Mark E. Manyin and international trade and finance analyst Liana Wong. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-Vietnam Relations Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1995, overlapping strategic and economic interests have led the two countries to expand ties across a wi more PR

WASHINGTON, May 31 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12370) on May 29, 2024, by research librarians David A. Blum and Travis A. Ferrell. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: 80th Anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944 On June 6, 1944, military forces from the United States and several other countries (known together as the Allied Forces) crossed the English Channel to Normandy, France, during World War II (WWII), in what is considered the l more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11696) on May 28, 2024. The white paper is written by Diane P. Horn, flood insurance and emergency management specialist, and Elizabeth M. Webster and Erica A. Lee, emergency management and disaster recovery analysts. Here are excerpts: * * * Climate Change, Slow-Onset Disasters, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA and Climate Change The United States is already experiencin more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12193) on May 28, 2024, by Diane P. Horn, flood insurance and emergency management specialist, and Nicole T. Carter, natural resources policy specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * The Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) Updated May 28, 2024 Flooding is the most frequent and costly natural disaster facing the nation, and floodplain policy has particular relevance for infrastruct more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11911) on May 28, 2024, by Diane P. Horn, flood insurance and emergency management specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Floodplain Buyouts: Federal Funding for Property Acquisition Flooding is the most frequent natural disaster in the United States and experts expect effects to intensify in the future. A floodplain buyout is a property acquisition in which a government agency purchases pr more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12368) on May 28, 2024, by Russian and European affairs specialist Cory Welt: * * * Georgia's Parliament Passes "Transparency of Foreign Influence" Law On May 28, 2024, the Georgian parliament overrode (via a simple majority) President Salome Zourabichvili's veto and passed a law titled "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" (Zourabichvili is a political independent). The legislation, whic more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12366) on May 23, 2024, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Jim Zanotti and foreign policy legislation specialist Matthew C. Weed: * * * Israel and Hamas: Possible International Criminal Court (ICC) Arrest Warrants On May 20, 2024, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan filed applications for warrants of arrest before a Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) of the ICC in the "Situatio more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12367) on May 24, 2024, by military manpower specialist Kristy N. Kamarck: * * * FY2025 NDAA: Military Basic Pay Reform Proposal In 2023, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) established the Quality of Life (QOL) Panel to develop proposals for a FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY2025 NDAA). On April 8, 2024, the QOL Panel released its final report with several recommendatio more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11777) on May 28, 2024, by Diane P. Horn, flood insurance and emergency management specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * National Flood Insurance Program Risk Rating 2.0: Frequently Asked Questions This Insight answers some frequently asked questions about Risk Rating 2.0, which came fully into effect on April 1, 2022, changing the way the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) calculates more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN10965) on May 28, 2024, by Diane P. Horn, flood insurance and emergency management specialist, and Baird Webel, financial economics specialist: * * * The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), Reinsurance and Catastrophe Bonds Insurance transfers risk from one entity who does not want to bear that risk to another entity that does. An initial insurance purchase, such as homeowners buying  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 31 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12369) on May 30, 2024, by Michael E. DeVine, intelligence and national security analyst: * * * Restrictions on the Use of Journalists for Intelligence Purposes This CRS Insight provides background and issues facing Congress concerning U.S. restrictions on the use of journalists for intelligence purposes. Congress may examine whether existing statutory provisions sufficiently protect overs more PR

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11168) on May 24, 2024, by legislative attorney Jimmy Balser: * * * College Athletes Unionize: Trustees of Dartmouth College and Other Legal Issues On March 5, 2024, the Dartmouth men's basketball team voted to become the first U.S. collegiate athletes to unionize. A regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) previously determined that the players ar more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11170) on May 28, 2024, by legislative attorney Dave S. Sidhu: * * * Courts Disagree as to Whether the Federal Felon-in-Possession Firearm Prohibition Violates the Second Amendment There is growing disagreement among the federal appeals courts as to whether the federal ban on individuals convicted of a felony possessing firearms, found at 18 U.S.C. Sec. 922(g)(1) and commonly known  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11169) on May 28, 2024, by legislative attorney Abigail A. Graber: * * * HHS Finalizes Rule Addressing Section 1557 of the ACA's Incorporation of Title IX On May 6, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), issued a final rule implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Through reference to another law, Title  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11172) on May 29, 2024, by foreign affairs analyst Joshua Klein. Here are excerpts: * * * The Hur Tapes and the President's Claim of Executive Privilege President Biden has asserted executive privilege over audio recordings of an interview he gave to Special Counsel Robert Hur (the "Hur tapes") that are being sought by the House Judiciary and House Oversight and Accountability Comm more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11171) on May 28, 2024, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia and legislative attorney Alejandra Aramayo: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (May 20-May 27, 2024) The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal disputes. This Sidebar series selects decisions from the past week t more PR

WASHINGTON, May 31 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48078) on May 29, 2024, entitled "Credible Fear and Defensive Asylum Processes: Frequently Asked Questions." The report is written by immigration policy specialists Holly Straut-Eppsteiner, Andorra Bruno and Audrey Singer and legislative attorney Hillel R. Smith. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Credible Fear and Defensive Asylum Processes: Frequently Asked Questions Non-U.S. nationals (al more PR

WASHINGTON, May 31 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48078) on May 29, 2024, entitled "Credible Fear and Defensive Asylum Processes - Frequently Asked Questions:" * * * Credible Fear Screening Process Has credible fear screening always been part of the asylum process for migrants arriving at a U.S. border? Asylum regulations and statutory provisions did not originally include a credible fear screening process. In the 1970s, the former Immigratio more PR

WASHINGTON, May 30 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48076) on May 29, 2024, entitled "Motorized Recreation on Federal Lands" by natural resources policy analyst Mark K. DeSantis. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Motorized Recreation on Federal Lands The growing and diverse nature of recreation on federal lands has increased the challenge of balancing different types of recreation with each other and with other land uses. In particular, motoriz more PR

WASHINGTON, May 30 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48076) on May 29, 2024, entitled "Motorized Recreation on Federal Lands:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Issues for Congress Motorized recreation on federal lands and waters has been a contentious issue, due in part to growth in the use of ORVs, closures of certain areas to motorized uses, potential resource degradation, and other factors. Federal land managers continue to face an array o more PR

WASHINGTON, May 28 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RL33028) on May 23, 2024, entitled "Social Security: The Trust Funds" by social policy analyst Barry F. Huston. Here are excerpts: * * * Summary The Social Security program pays monthly cash benefits to retired or disabled workers and their family members and to the family members of deceased workers. Program income and outgo are accounted for in two separate trust funds authorized under Title  more PR