WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12755) on Sept. 5, 2024, by macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte. Here are excerpts: * * * "Too Big to Fail" Financial Institutions: Policy Issues Some financial institutions are perceived to be "too big to fail" (TBTF), meaning that their failure would trigger financial instability. Although the term TBTF is a popular shorthand, "too interconnected to fail" is considered to be more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10880) on Sept. 6, 2024, by Peter J. Meyer, Latin American and Canadian affairs specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Chile: An Overview Chile, located along the Pacific coast of South America, traditionally has been one of the United States' closest partners in Latin America. During the 118th Congress, the Senate consented to a tax treaty with Chile and some Members have assessed option more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12756) on Sept. 5, 2024, by income security specialist John J. Topolesk. Here are excerpts: * * * Defined Contribution Retirement Plans: Automatic Enrollment Many employers offer their employees the opportunity to save for retirement in defined contribution (DC) plans, of which the most common is the 401(k) plan. Sponsors of DC plans have two ways to enroll eligible employees. Historic more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12752) on Sept. 3, 2024, by education policy analyst Adam K. Edgerton, and legislative attorney Jared P. Cole: * * * Education Department Updates Title IX Regulations: Protections for Pregnant Students and Employees Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (hereinafter, "Title IX") bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal financial assistance (20 U.S.C. Sec. more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12754) on Sept. 4, 2024. The white paper is written by telecommunications policy specialist Colby Leigh Pechtol, legislative attorney Peter J. Benson and internet and telecommunications policy specialist Patricia Moloney Figliola: * * * Federal Communications Commission: Agency Regulatory Authority and Selected Rules The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent federal  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12470) on Sept. 3, 2024, by Michael E. DeVine, intelligence and national security analyst: * * * The Intelligence Community's Foreign Malign Influence Center FMIC Background General concern over the potential for foreign efforts to manipulate U.S. public opinion and interfere in U.S. elections has grown with the recognition that foreign malign actors are able to employ sophisticated to more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10404) on Sept. 5, 2024, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Christopher M. Blanchard. Here are excerpts: * * * Iraq The Republic of Iraq (Figure 1), with a substantial history of U.S. involvement, large energy resources, and a growing, diverse population continues to experience security and political challenges that are further complicated by competition between outside powers, includ more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12753) on Sept. 4, 2024, by environmental policy analyst Jonathan D. Haskett: * * * Climate Change: What Are Net-Zero Emissions? "Net-zero emissions" refers to a situation in which human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from sources such as fossil fuel combustion and deforestation are fully balanced by carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from the atmosphere. Methods of removal include natu more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12169) on Sept. 3, 2024, by financial economics analyst Karl E. Schneider. Here are excerpts: * * * An Overview of Medical Debt: Collection, Credit Reporting, and Related Policy Issues Medical debt is a fairly common occurrence for Americans who have received medical care. This InFocus discusses medical debt; how that debt is collected and reported to credit reporting agencies (CRAs); a more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12418) on Sept. 6, 2024, by defense policy analyst Daniel M. Gettinger. Here are excerpts: * * * FY2025 NDAA: Countering Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Background Congress has expressed concerns about the threats posed by uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS, commonly known as drones) to U.S. military personnel and defense installations at home and abroad, as well as an interest in the ability of  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12301) on Sept. 6, 2024, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Christopher M. Blanchard. Here are excerpts: * * * Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea: Issues for Congress Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel's military response in Gaza, the Ansar Allah/Houthi movement, an Iran-backed force in Yemen, has targeted (Figure 1) Israeli territory and commercial and naval vessels near th more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12417) on Sept. 6, 2024, by immigration policy specialists Holly Straut-Eppsteiner and Audrey Singer. Here are excerpts: * * * The Impact of the "Securing the Border" Interim Final Rule on Migrant Encounters and Processing In FY2023, enforcement encounters by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Southwest border reached their highest an more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11222) on Sept. 6, 2024, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Circuit Splits from August 2024 The U.S. Courts of Appeals for the thirteen "circuits" issue thousands of precedential decisions each year. Because relatively few of these decisions are ultimately reviewed by the Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals are often the last  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11220) on Sept. 3, 2024, by legislative attorneys Abigail A. Graber and Jared P. Cole: * * * Courts Consider Recent Agency Regulations Prohibiting Gender Identity Discrimination Before and After Loper Bright In spring 2024, the Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services (HHS) released new regulations interpreting sex discrimination to include gender identity discri more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11156) on Sept. 5, 2024, by legislative attorney Jon O. Shimabukuro: * * * Department of Labor's 2024 Independent Contractor Rule On January 10, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a rule that identifies criteria for how it classifies whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal law that establishe more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11223) on Sept. 6, 2024, by legislative attorney Jimmy Balser: * * * Johnson v. National Collegiate Athletic Association: Third Circuit Allows College Athletes' Claim for Wages to Move Forward In Johnson v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (Third Circuit) considered whether college athletes can be barred as a matter of law fr more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11166) on Sept. 3, 2024, by Assistant Director Sanchitha Jayaram: * * * Montana's TikTok Ban Goes Before the Ninth Circuit On November 30, 2023, a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of a law banning TikTok's Montana operations. Without the district court's preliminary injunction, the Montana law would have become effective January 1, 2024. Mo more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11221) on Sept. 4, 2024, by legislative attorney Hannah-Alise Rogers: * * * State Regulation of Prescription Drug Prices: Prescription Drug Affordability Boards and Related Litigation As conversations about health care costs, including prescription drug prices, continue in the 118th Congress, the federal Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, created in the Inflation Reduction Ac more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47321) on Sept. 6, 2024, entitled "Iran: Background and U.S. Policy" by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Clayton Thomas. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States have been largely antagonistic since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, with tensions spiking since 2023. Of particular concern for U.S. policymakers in 2024 are Iran's regional activ more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47321) on Sept. 6, 2024, entitled "Iran - Background and U.S. Policy:" (Continued from Part 1 of 3) * * * U.S.-Iran Relations: Background and Recent Approaches U.S.-Iran relations have been mostly adversarial since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, an authoritarian monarch who was a close U.S. ally, and led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic. The United  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47321) on Sept. 6, 2024, entitled "Iran - Background and U.S. Policy:" (Continued from Part 2 of 3) * * * Iran's Military: Structure and Capabilities Given the adversarial nature of U.S.-Iran relations and the centrality of various military-related entities in Iranian domestic and foreign policy, Iran's military has been a subject of sustained engagement by Congress and other U.S. policymakers. The e more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R44710) on Sept. 5, 2024, entitled "Military Construction: Authorities and Processes" by defense infrastructure policy analyst Andrew Tilghman. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Congress appropriates several billion dollars annually to support construction projects for the Department of Defense's (DOD's) worldwide military installations. The military construction (MILCON) program enables the DOD to pla more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R44710) on Sept. 5, 2024, entitled "Military Construction - Authorities and Processes:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Advance Planning The planning and design process for a military construction project includes two distinct phases. The first phase involves advance planning, which examines the military requirements for a potential project and includes potential site analysis. As part of the initi more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R46511) on Sept. 3, 2024, entitled "Veterans Benefits Administration: Pension Programs" by veterans policy analyst Madeline E. Moreno. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA): Pension Programs Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) administers three veteran pension programs. These programs provide monthly bene more PR