WASHINGTON, June 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R47295) on June 21, 2024, by Research Librarian Ben Leubsdorf: * * * SUMMARY Economic projections (also called forecasts) are predictions about the future behavior of economic and financial indicators. They can help lawmakers in assessing the likelihood of key events such as recessions, addressing budget and economic challenges, and estimating the effects of policy changes. Many government agencies  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R46858) on June 20, 2024, by Senior Research Librarian Sofia Plagakis. Here are excerpts: * * * Europe: Fact Sheet on Parliamentary and Presidential Elections * * * Contents Introduction ... 1 European Elections in 2024 ... 2 European Parliamentary and Presidential Elections ... 4 Figures Figure 1. European Elections in 2024 ... 3 Tables Table 1. European Parliamentary and Presidential  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R44865) on June 13, 2024, by senior knowledge management librarian Devon Galena. Here are excerpts: * * * Juneteenth: Fact Sheet SUMMARY Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It is also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, Black Independence Day, and, by statute, Juneteenth National Independence Day. On June 19, 1865, Major Gen more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. 98-684) on June 17, 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 recentl more PR

WASHINGTON, June 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12692) on June 21, 2024, by Todd Kuiken, science and technology policy analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science conducts most of the department's basic research, in fields ranging from nuclear physics to the biological and environmental sciences, and oversees 10 of the department's 17 national laborat more PR

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12549) on June 14, 2024, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Jim Zanotti: * * * Hamas: Background, Current Status, and U.S. Policy Hamas (or the Islamic Resistance Movement) is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist military and sociopolitical movement, and a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO). Hamas's primary base of action and support is in the Gaza Strip, which it has contro more PR

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12686) on June 10, 2024, by South Asian affairs specialist K. Alan Kronstadt. Here are excerpts: * * * India's 2024 National Election Overview and Results The United States has been developing a strategic partnership with the Republic of India for two decades, and the U.S. Congress has broadly supported that engagement. Reflecting an interest in democracy and human rights in India, som more PR

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10298) on June 13, 2024, by South Asian affairs specialist K. Alan Kronstadt. Here are excerpts: * * * India's Domestic Political Setting Overview India, the world's most populous country, is, according to its Constitution, a "sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic" where the bulk of executive power rests with the prime minister and his Council of Ministers. The Indian pres more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12690) on June 17, 2024, by legislative attorney Kristen Hite and environmental policy analyst Jonathan D. Haskett: * * * International Agreement on Plastic Pollution: Negotiations Global plastic waste is projected to almost triple by 2060. Plastic waste can cause environmental pollution, because it can break down into microplastic or nanoplastic particles. Some plastics also pose human more PR

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11313) on June 13, 2024, by military personnel specialist Kristy N. Kamarck. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps Background The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a federally funded program of instruction for high school-aged students administered by the armed forces. The purpose of JROTC, according to 10 U.S.C. Sec.2031 is  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11010) on June 14, 2024, by health care financing specialist Evelyne P. Baumrucker and social policy specialist Patrick A. Lander. Here are excerpts: * * * Medicaid Coverage for Former Foster Youth Up to Age 26 Children are removed from families and placed into foster care due to incidents of abuse, neglect, or other family crisis. During FY2022, nearly 570,000 children spent at least a  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11879) on June 17, 2024, by section research manager Lauren R. Stienstra: * * * National Level Exercises: History, Authorities, and Congressional Considerations Every two years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducts a National Level Exercise (NLE) to evaluate the nation's progress toward preparedness for catastrophic events. These exercises have multiple components, and more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12691) on June 17, 2024, by legislative attorney L. Paige Whitaker: * * * PACs and Super PACs in Federal Election Campaigns: Legal Framework Political action committees (PACs) and super PACs play significant roles in federal election campaigns by raising and spending money to influence elections. While PACs have been a part of the campaign finance ecosystem for decades, super PACs origin more PR

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12688) on June 14, 2024, by domestic security specialist Kristin Finklea: * * * Project Safe Childhood and the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction Countering child sexual exploitation is a perennial issue for policymakers, law enforcement, and the public. Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) nationwide initiative to counter  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12689) on June 14, 2024, by Erica A. Lee, emergency management and disaster recovery specialist: * * * Recovering Funds from Parties Liable: Stafford Act Authorities Introduction The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act; P.L. 93-288, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.5121 et seq.) authorizes the President to provide federal response, recovery, a more PR

WASHINGTON, June 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12693) on June 21, 2024, by social policy analyst T. Lynn Sears: * * * Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Overpayments Due to Earnings Supplemental Security Income (SSI) SSI is a means-tested federal assistance program that provides monthly cash payments to older adults and individuals with qualifying disabilities who have income and resources (e.g., assets) within prescribed limits. Th more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11991) on June 18, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The U.S. Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW): Dark Eagle What Is the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon? The Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), also known as Dark Eagle (Figure 1), with a reported range of 1,725 miles, consists of a ground-launched missile equipped w more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12397) on June 17, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Army's Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) System Background The Army is developing a new maneuver short-range air defense system, or M-SHORAD to perform short-range air defense, or SHORAD. The Army defines the SHORAD mission as '[d]edicated air defense artillery (ADA)  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12376) on June 13, 2024, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte and financial economics analyst Andrew P. Scott: * * * Banking Legislation in the 118th Congress This Insight outlines the banking and credit union bills that have seen committee or floor action in the 118th Congress and provides links to other CRS resources. It does not cover bills that indirectly affect banks, such more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12383) on June 20, 2024, by immigration policy specialist Audrey Singer. Here are excerpts: * * * The Biden Administration's Proclamation and Rule, Securing the Border, and DHS Operational Constraints Citing record high levels of enforcement encounters at the Southwest land border (SWB), President Biden signed a Presidential Proclamation on June 3, 2024, that suspends and limits the entr more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12378) on June 14, 2024, by natural resources specialist Nicole T. Carter. Here are excerpts: * * * Desalination: Converting Saline Water into a Municipal Water Source Desalination may now or in the future play a significant role in the supply of potable water for some municipalities, a possibility that has created growing congressional interest in desalination technologies. Additionall more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12021) on June 20, 2024, by natural resources policy specialist Nicole T. Carter. Here are excerpts: * * * Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP) The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA 2014, Title V, Subtitle C, of P.L. 113-121; 33 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.3901-3915, as amended) authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to provide credit assistan more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12379) on June 14, 2024, by social policy specialists Jessica Tollestrup and Patrick A. Landers: * * * Employment and Training Services for Noncustodial Parents in the Child Support Program: Background and Summary of Proposed Rule All 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and certain tribal nations operate Child Support Enforcement (CSE) pro more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12380) on June 17, 2024, by military personnel specialist Kristy N. Kamarck. Here are excerpts: * * * FY2025 NDAA: Basic Needs Allowance for Military Families In 2023, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) established the Quality of Life (QOL) Panel to develop legislative proposals for the 118th Congress. On April 8, 2024, the QOL Panel released its final report. Several of the Panel more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12381) on June 17, 2024, by agricultural policy specialist Renee Johnson: * * * Hemp Provisions in the House Farm Bill and FY2025 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Recent action by the House Agriculture Committee on the next farm bill (Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024; H.R. 8467, as amended) and the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee on the FY2025 Agriculture, Rural  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12367) on June 14, 2024, by military personnel specialist Kristy N. Kamarck: * * * FY2025 NDAA: Military Basic Pay Reform Proposal In 2023, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) established a Quality of Life (QOL) Panel to develop proposals for an FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY2025 NDAA). On April 8, 2024, the QOL Panel released its final report. Several of the Panel's  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12032) on June 13, 2024, by energy policy specialist Paul W. Parfomak and legislative attorney Adam Vann. Here are excerpts: * * * Mountain Valley Pipeline: Past the Finish Line The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is a 303-mile natural gas transmission pipeline linking natural gas fields in West Virginia to the Transco pipeline in Virginia (Figure 1). Initially proposed in 2014, the proje more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11701) on June 20, 2024, by disability policy analyst Scott D. Szymendera. Here are excerpts: * * * Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulation of Employee Exposure to Heat Employees who work outdoors, including those in industries such as construction and agriculture, may be exposed to extreme heat conditions. Similarly, certain indoor work situations--such as bakeri more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12382) on June 18, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert and Defense Policy analyst Daniel M. Gettinger: * * * Proposal to Create a U.S. Army Drone Corps Introduction A provision of the House-passed H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, would establish the "Drone Corps" as a basic branch  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12384) on June 20, 2024, by Erica A. Lee, emergency management and disaster recovery specialist, and Bruce R. Lindsay, American national government specialist: * * * Stafford Act Declarations for Extreme Heat The United States has experienced record-setting high temperatures thus far in 2024, continuing a trend observed in 2023 - the hottest year on record, according to the National Aeron more PR

WASHINGTON, June 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12385) on June 21, 2024, by Andrew S. Bowen, Russian and European affairs analyst: * * * U.S.-Ukraine Bilateral Security Agreement On June 13, 2024, President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement during the G7 summit. (Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements with 15 countries and, as of June, is negotiating with 16 others. more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12316) on June 14, 2024, by international humanitarian policy specialist Rhoda Margesson and Middle Eastern affairs specialist Jim Zanotti. Here are excerpts: * * * The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA): Overview and U.S. Funding Prohibition On January 26, 2024, the Biden Administration temporarily "paused" all U.S. funding to the Unit more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11180) on June 17, 2024, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia and legislative attorney Clay Wild: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (June 10 - June 16, 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 tha more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB10929) on June 17, 2024, by legislative attorney Dave S. Sidhu: * * * Can Retribution Justify the Revocation of Supervised Release? Courts Disagree. What are the legitimate reasons that a government may subject an individual to criminal punishment? Western penological theory and American legal history generally identify four principled bases for criminal punishment: retribution, de more PR

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11094) on June 12, 2024. The white paper is written by legislative attorneys Jennifer K. Elsea and L. Paige Whitaker and section research manager Juria L. Jones: * * * Disqualification of a Candidate for the Presidency, Part I: Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment as It Applies to the Presidency On March 4, 2024, the Supreme Court in Trump v. Anderson reversed the Colorado Suprem more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11179) on June 20, 2024, by Charles Doyle, American public law senior specialist: * * * What Time Is It for the ACCA?: Supreme Court Clarifies When State Drug Offenses Qualify as "Serious Drug Offenses" The Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) imposes a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment when a person convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm has three or more prior violent felo more PR

WASHINGTON, June 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB10920) on June 20, 2024, by legislative attorney Dave S. Sidhu and section research manager Michael A. Foster: * * * The Supreme Court Invalidates the ATF's Bump-Stock Ban Congressional interest in "bump-stock" devices - accessories that allow semiautomatic rifles effectively to mimic the firing capabilities of a fully automatic weapon - grew after authorities discovered that the p more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R40482) on June 18, 2024, entitled "Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations: A Guide to Component Accounts" by foreign affairs analyst Cory R. Gill and foreign assistance and foreign policy specialist Emily M. McCabe. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations legislation  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R40482) on June 18, 2024, entitled "Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations - A Guide to Component Accounts:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Title III - Bilateral Economic Assistance Under this title, funds are appropriated in support of U.S. government departments and independent agencies conducting humanitarian, development, and other programs meetin more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RS22331) on June 18, 2024, entitled "Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt" by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte and research librarian Ben Leubsdorf. Here are excerpts: * * * Summary This report presents current data on ownership of U.S. Treasury securities and major holders of federal debt by country. Federal debt represents the accumulated balance of borrowing by the federal governmen more PR

WASHINGTON, June 22 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R42603) on June 20, 2024, entitled "Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies: History, Membership and Inaugural Activities" by Congress specialist Jacob R. Straus. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Every four years, at noon on January 20, the President-elect is scheduled to be sworn in as President of the United States. The year before the inauguration, Congress establishes the Joi more PR

WASHINGTON, June 22 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R42603) on June 20, 2024, entitled "Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies - History, Membership and Inaugural Activities:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Committee Membership Since 1901, when the first Joint Inaugural Committee was authorized, membership on the committee has consisted of three Senators and three Members of the House of Representatives. Currently, appointme more PR

WASHINGTON, June 21 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47245) on June 17, 2024, entitled "SBA Disaster Loan Limits: Policy Options and Considerations." The report is written by American national government specialist Bruce R. Lindsay, small business and economic development policy R. Corinne Blackford and research assistant Daniela E. Lacalle. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan Program provides more PR