WASHINGTON, June 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12687) on June 12, 2024, by senior research librarian Eric P. Nardi: * * * Connecting Constituents with Federal Programs for Public Parks Congress has established programs to assist constituents - including individuals, organizations, tribes, and local governments - with projects to establish or upgrade public parks and related outdoor recreation facilities. These parks and facilities co more PR

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12684) on June 7, 2024, by Michael E. DeVine, intelligence and national security analyst: * * * Department of Energy's Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (OICI) Background The Department of Energy's Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (OICI) can trace its origins to the Second World War, when the U.S. government sought to collect intelligence on German efforts to d more PR

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10049) on June 11, 2024, by Rebecca M. Nelson, international trade and finance specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Exchange Rates and Currency Manipulation At various points over the past two decades, some Members of Congress have expressed concerns that other countries are engaging in currency manipulation - that is, purposefully using exchange rate policies to gain an unfair trade ad more PR

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12684) on June 10, 2024, by natural resources policy specialist Anne A. Riddle. Here are excerpts: * * * Forest Service: FY2024 Appropriations The Forest Service (FS) is responsible for managing 193 million acres of land in the National Forest System (NFS), conducting forestry research, and providing assistance to state, local, private, and international forest owners. The FS is an agen more PR

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12398) on June 10, 2024, by natural resources policy specialist Anne A. Riddle. Here are excerpts: * * * Funding for Wildfire Management: FY2024 Appropriations for the Forest Service and Department of the Interior The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are responsible for wildfire response and management across federal lands wit more PR

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10540) on June 11, 2024, by military personnel specialist Kristy N. Kamarck and research librarian Carly A. Miller. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Reserve Forces The term reserve component (RC) refers collectively to the seven individual reserve components of the Armed Forces. Congress exercises authority over the reserve components under its constitutional authority "to raise more PR

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12277) on June 10, 2024. The white paper by Russian and European affairs specialists Cory Welt and Andrew S. Bowen, European affairs analyst Paul Belkin and international trade and finance specialist Rebecca M. Nelson: * * * Russia's War on Ukraine: U.S. Policy and the Role of Congress On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a country Russia first invade more PR

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12037) on June 11, 2024, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton: * * * Elections and Campaign Finance Policy: A CRS Podcast Series The CRS podcast series on elections and campaign finance policy features CRS analysts discussing their areas of expertise. Each episode serves as an introductory briefing that interested listeners can access at their convenience. This Insigh more PR

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12331) on June 7, 2024, by Latin American Affairs specialists Karla I. Rios and Clare Ribando Seelke: * * * Haiti in Crisis: What Role for a Multinational Security Support Mission? The political and security situation in Haiti has deteriorated since the start of 2024; more than 2,500 people were killed or injured by gang violence between January and March 2024. The gangs - some of which ar more PR

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12375) on June 12, 2024, by Diane P. Horn, flood insurance and emergency management specialist, and Baird Webel, financial economics specialist: * * * Natural Disasters and the Homeowners Insurance Market Insurance consumers in parts of the United States have been experiencing higher prices and gaps in coverage, with households often struggling to find and afford homeowners insurance that more PR

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12374) on June 7, 2024, by African affairs specialist Nicolas Cook: * * * South Africa's May 2024 Elections South Africa held national and provincial elections on May 29, 2024. After a two-decade decline in voter support, the African National Congress (ANC) lost its National Assembly (NA) majority and, as the NA elects the president, its unitary control over the executive branch. The ANC h more PR

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11178) on June 12, 2024. The white paper is written by Legislative Attorneys Alejandra Aramayo, Kelsey Y. Santamaria and Hillel R. Smith: * * * The Biden Administration's June 2024 Proclamation and Rule, Securing the Border On June 3, 2024, President Biden - pursuant to statutory authorities under 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1182(f), 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1185(a), and 3 U.S.C. Sec. 301 - signed a procl more PR

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11177) on June 11, 2024, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia and legislative attorney Clay Wild: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (June 3-June 9, 2024) June 11, 2024 The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal disputes. This Sidebar series selects decisions from the pa more PR

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11176) on June 7, 2024, by legislative attorney Justin C. Chung: * * * Suspending the Tax-Exempt Status of Terrorist and Terrorist Supporting Organizations: H.R. 6408 in Context H.R. 6408 would establish a process for suspending the tax-exempt status of organizations if the Secretary of the Treasury designates them as "terrorist supporting organizations." The suspended organizations more PR

WASHINGTON, June 13 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48092) on June 11, 2024, entitled "Can Tax Policy Increase Saving?" by economic policy senior specialist Jane G. Gravelle and public finance specialist Donald J. Marples. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY National saving consists of (1) business saving by corporations; (2) personal saving by individuals; (3) saving (or more often dissaving) by the federal government; and (4) saving by state an more PR

WASHINGTON, June 13 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48092) on June 11, 2024, entitled "Can Tax Policy Increase Saving?" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * The Adequacy of Retirement Saving Are Individuals Currently Saving Enough for Retirement? Concern about saving sometimes focuses on whether individuals are saving enough for retirement. From an economic standpoint, the best way to answer this question is to examine replacement ratios - that more PR

WASHINGTON, June 13 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48091) on June 11, 2024, entitled "Contributions to Defined Contribution Retirement Plans." The report is written by research assistants John H. Gorman and Sylvia L. Bryan, and income security specialists John J. Topoleski and Elizabeth A. Myers. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Defined contribution (DC) retirement plans are a common employee benefit in the United States, with 63% of all Ame more PR

WASHINGTON, June 13 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48091) on June 11, 2024, entitled "Contributions to Defined Contribution Retirement Plans:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Frequency of Employer Contributions Plan sponsors choose when to make employer contributions. Many employers align their contributions with pay periods, while others contribute less frequently such as on a monthly or quarterly basis./77 Matching contributions are like more PR

WASHINGTON, June 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R43397) on June 11, 2024, entitled "Legislative Branch Appropriations: Frequently Asked Questions" by Congress specialist Ida A. Brudnick. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY This report responds to frequently asked questions about legislative branch appropriations. Frequently asked questions include the items that are funded within this bill; development, presentation, and consideration of the l more PR

WASHINGTON, June 11 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48086) on June 10, 2024, entitled "Petroleum-Equivalent Fuel Economy of Electric Vehicles: In Brief" by energy policy specialist Corrie E. Clark and environmental policy specialist Richard K. Lattanzio. Here are excerpts: * * * Contents Background ... 1 Petroleum-Equivalent Fuel Economy ... 2 Agency Authorities ... 3 NHTSA's CAFE Standards ... 3 EPA's Determination of a Manufacturer's more PR