WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12700) on July 1, 2024, by legislative attorney Kevin J. Hickey: * * * "Skinny Labels" for Generic Drugs Under Hatch-Waxman New "brand-name" drugs are often protected from generic competition by patents. In general, a drug manufacturer intending to market a generic version of a brand-name drug must either wait for those patents to expire or challenge the validity or applicability of the p more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11859) on July 1, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Army's M-10 Booker (Formerly Known as Mobile Protected Firepower [MPF]) System What Is the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) System? The Army's MPF system is intended to address an operational shortfall in infantry units: 'Currently the Army's Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) d more PR

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12706) on July 3, 2024, by African affairs specialist Nicolas Cook: * * * Botswana Botswana, dubbed "an excellent democratic partner" by the State Department, generally performs well on governance, economic, and human development metrics. The arid, landlocked, and sparsely populated Southern African country is known for its unique ecosystems, which underpin a thriving tourism industry. Is more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12505) on July 1, 2024, by Asian affairs specialist Susan V. Lawrence. Here are excerpts: * * * China Primer: China's Political System Introduction The People's Republic of China (PRC or China) is the only Communist Party-led state either among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council or among the members of the G-20 grouping of major economies. As Congress has  more PR

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12704) on July 3, 2024, by American national government analyst Taylor R. Knoedl. Here are excerpts: * * * Core Based Statistical Areas Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) is the collective term used to refer to metropolitan statistical areas and micropolitan statistical areas, which are delineated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB generally defines a CBSA as an area tha more PR

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12697) on June 27, 2024, by financial economics analyst Liana Wong. Here are excerpts: * * * De Novo Banks: Policy Issues for the 118th Congress While the size of the banking system has grown in terms of assets, the number of banks has steadily fallen over the past four decades. For example, in the 1980s, there were more than 18,000 banks. Today, there are fewer than 5,000 commercial b more PR

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12699) on June 28, 2024, by energy policy analyst Martin C. Offutt. Here are excerpts: * * * DOE Hydrogen Program Appropriations: FY2025 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program addresses the development of applications that use hydrogen in place of today's fuels to provide modern energy services. The program also considers hydrogen as an established industrial chemical, for more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12701) on July 1, 2024, by Economic Development Policy analyst Adam G. Levin: * * * Economic Development Programs and Higher Education Higher education has long been viewed as a tool of economic advancement and security, particularly at the individual level. For example, the Federal Reserve found that in 2023, 87% of survey respondents with a bachelor's degree or higher reported they wer more PR

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10967) on July 3, 2024, by natural resource policy specialist Eva Lipiec. Here are excerpts: * * * Marine Debris: NOAA's Role Researchers have found marine debris, especially plastic items, to have some effects on humans, wildlife, and the environment, but the extent of these impacts is currently unclear. Congress has directed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or more PR

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12599) on July 3, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke: * * * Defense Primer: Navy Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) Concept Introduction Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) is the operating concept of the Department of the Navy (or DON, which includes the Navy and Marine Corps) for using U.S. naval (i.e., Navy and Marine Corps) forces in combat operations against an a more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12702) on July 2, 2024, by social policy analyst T. Lynn Sears. Here are excerpts: * * * Social Security Disability Overpayments Due to Earnings Social Security Disability Insurance Social Security is a federal social insurance program that provides monthly cash benefits to insured workers and their eligible family members in the event of the worker's retirement, disability, or death. more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11756) on July 2, 2024, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton: * * * The Twenty-Fifth Amendment: Sections 3 and 4 - Presidential Disability The Twenty-Fifth Amendment, proposed by Congress in 1965 and ratified by the states in 1967, provides for presidential succession, vice presidential vacancies, and presidential disability. Presidential inability or disability is spe more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11991) on July 2, 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 wit more PR

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12595) on July 3, 2024, by Kyla H. Kitamura, international trade and finance analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S.-Canada Trade Relations The United States and Canada have one of the largest bilateral commercial relationships in the world, including a highly integrated energy and automotive market. Over the past 30 years, U.S.-Canada trade relations have been governed first by the 1989  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11886) on June 28, 2024, by health policy analyst Jared S. Sussman and senior research librarian Michele L. Malloy. Here are excerpts: * * * Veteran Suicide Prevention Background Suicide was the 13th leading cause of death in the United States among veterans in 2021, the most recent reporting year. Although suicide rates have increased among the U.S. general population over the past tw more PR

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12705) on July 3, 2024, by environmental policy specialist Laura Gatz. Here are excerpts: * * * Wastewater Discharge Standards for Steam Electric Power Plants Overview The Clean Water Act (CWA) prohibits the discharge of pollutants from any point source into "waters of the United States" without a permit. Thus, industrial and other facilities that discharge to waters of the United State more PR

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12698) on June 28, 2024, by natural resource policy specialist Eva Lipiec: * * * Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 6093) Hazardous weather and climate events kill hundreds of people and cause billions of dollars of property damage in the United States each year. In 2023, for instance, the United States experienced 28 weather and climate disaste more PR

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12387) on July 2, 2024, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte and financial economics analyst Andrew P. Scott. Here are excerpts: * * * Bills Affecting Bank Regulators in the 118th Congress This insight discusses legislation that has been reported or ordered reported by the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs that more PR

WASHINGTON, July 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12388) on July 3, 2024, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte. Here are excerpts: * * * Why Is the Federal Reserve Keeping Interest Rates "High for Longer"? The Federal Reserve (Fed) responded to the post-pandemic spike in inflation by rapidly raising short-term interest rates between 2022 and 2023. Since July 2023, the Fed has maintained a target range of 5.25%5.5%, the highest more PR

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12281) on June 28, 2024, by natural resources policy specialist Anna E. Normand. Here are excerpts: * * * Landsat Next on the Horizon In December 2022, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) presented initial details about Landsat Next, the next proposed launch in the Landsat series of Earth-observing satellite missions that began i more PR

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12386) on June 28, 2024, by European affairs specialist Derek E. Mix: * * * The United Kingdom's 2024 Election Polls indicate that the opposition Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, is likely to win the general election scheduled to take place in the United Kingdom (UK) on July 4, 2024. The Conservative Party has led the UK government for the past 14 years, first under Prime Minister David more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11190) on July 1, 2024, by legislative attorney Clay Wild: * * * United States v. Bannon: Criminal Contempt of Congress and Bad Faith On May 10, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (D.C. Circuit) decided United States v. Bannon, an appeal of Stephen Bannon's conviction under the criminal contempt of Congress statute, 2 U.S.C. Sec. 192. Section 192 criminalizes "will more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11192) on July 1, 2024, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (June 24-June 30, 2024), Part 1 The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal disputes. This Sidebar series selects decisions from the past week that may be of particular interest more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11193) on July 1, 2024. The white paper is written by legislative attorneys Jimmy Balser, Alexander H. Pepper and Dorothy C. Kafka: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (June 24-June 30, 2024), Part 2 The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal disputes. This Sidebar series selects deci more PR

WASHINGTON, July 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11191) on July 2, 2024, by Charles Doyle, American public law senior specialist: * * * Erlinger v. United States: Supreme Court Rules on Jury Determination for Prior Offenses for ACCA Sentencing Purposes Introduction Near the end of its term, the Supreme Court in Erlinger v. United States held that the right to a jury trial, complete with proof beyond a reasonable doubt found by a  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 30 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48115) on June 28, 2024, entitled "Comparing DHS Component Funding, FY2025: In Brief" by William L. Painter, homeland security and appropriations specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Contents Introduction ... 1 FY2025 DHS Appropriations Overview ... 2 Annual Appropriations ... 2 DHS Budgetary Resources: Beyond the Score ... 2 DHS Appropriations: Comparing Scores ... 9 Emergency-Desi more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RL33546) on July 1, 2024, entitled "Jordan: Background and U.S. Relations" by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Jeremy M. Sharp. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a key U.S. partner in the Middle East, and the two countries have cooperated on a number of regional and international issues. Jordan remains at peace with Israel and is a primary interlocutor with th more PR

WASHINGTON, July 2 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RL33546) on July 1, 2024, entitled "Jordan - Background and U.S. Relations:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Country Background Jordan, created by colonial powers after World War I, initially consisted of desert or semidesert territory east of the Jordan River, inhabited largely by people of Bedouin tribal background, the original "East Bank" Jordanians./39 The establishment of the state of more PR