WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R48174) on Sept. 10, 2024, by librarian Susan G. Groux: * * * Constitution and Citizenship Day Speech Resources: Fact Sheet Contents Introduction ... 1 Legislative History ... 2 Selected Speeches/Remarks ... 2 Selected Presidential Proclamations and Remarks ... 3 Related CRS Products ... 3 Educational Resources ... 4 Statistics ... 4 Contacts Author Information ... 4 * * * Introd more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R44178) on Sept. 9, 2024, by reference librarian Audrey Celeste Crane-Hirsch: * * * Patriot Day: Fact Sheet In 2001, P.L. 107-89 designated September 11 as Patriot Day to honor the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. The law asks the President to issue an annual Proclamation for Patriot Day that directs the U.S. flag more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R44178) on Sept. 11, 2024, by reference librarian Audrey Celeste Crane-Hirsch: * * * In 2001, P.L. 107-89 designated September 11 as Patriot Day to honor the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. The law asks the President to issue an annual Proclamation for Patriot Day that directs the U.S. flag to be flown at half-sta more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12480) on Sept. 9, 2024, by labor policy specialist Sarah A. Donovan and legislative attorney Jon O. Shimabukuro. Here are excerpts: * * * The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Exemption for Executive, Administrative, and Professional (EAP) Employees The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes a federal minimum wage for most private and public sector employees and generally requires more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12759) on Sept. 10, 2024, by health policy specialist Amanda K. Sarata: * * * The HIPAA Privacy Rule: Overview and Issues The final HIPAA Privacy Rule (the Rule) was first issued in December 2000, and a final modified rule was issued in August of 2002, pursuant to authority in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA, P.L. 104-191). HIPAA was enacted to imp more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11616) on Sept. 11, 2024, by natural resources policy specialists Charles V. Stern and Pervaze A. Sheikh. Here are excerpts: * * * Klamath River Dam Removal and Restoration The Klamath River Basin (Figure 1) - a 12,000 square mile area on the California-Oregon border - is a focal point for discussions on water allocation and species protection. These issues have generated conflict amon more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11556) on Sept. 9, 2024, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Christopher M. Blanchard. Here are excerpts: * * * Libya and U.S. Policy Over a decade after a 2011 uprising and U.S.-backed military intervention that toppled longtime authoritarian leader Muammar al Qadhafi, Libya has yet to make a transition to stable governing arrangements. Elections and diplomacy have produced a series  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12762) on Sept. 12, 2024, by macroeconomic policy analyst Lida R. Weinstock and financial economics analyst Paul Tierno. Here are excerpts: * * * The Macroeconomic Effects of Artificial Intelligence While various forms of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have existed and been used for decades, the recent popularization of AI products such as ChatGPT have spurred further researc more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12758) on Sept. 9, 2024, by Health Care Financing analyst Laura A. Wreschnig. Here are excerpts: * * * Medicare Coverage of GLP-1 Drugs Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, marketed under brand names such as Wegovy and Ozempic, are a class of medications used primarily in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Recently, GLP-1 drugs have gained attention for the more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12760) on Sept. 10, 2024. The white paper is written by Asian affairs specialist Mark E. Manyin, acting section research manager Mary Beth D. Nikitin and Russian and European affairs analyst Andrew S. Bowen. Here are excerpts: * * * Russia-North Korea Relations Overview Over the past two years, the Russian Federation (Russia) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, or No more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12761) on Sept. 12, 2024, by financial economics analyst Karl E. Schneider. Here are excerpts: * * * Sports Gambling and Consumer Finance Sports gambling is a common form of gambling where bettors wager on the results of athletic events. Before 2018, sports gambling was illegal in most states. In 2018, the Supreme Court held in Murphy vs. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12757) on Sept. 9, 2024, by Kelsi Bracmort, natural resources and energy policy specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): An Overview of Current Laws and Legislation Introduced in the 118th Congress Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is fuel derived from "sustainable" sources that meets aviation technical standards. The most touted potential benefits of SAF inc more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11991) on Sept. 9, 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  more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11479) on Sept. 10, 2024, by Luke A. Nicastro, defense infrastructure policy analyst, and Cameron M. Keys, defense logistics and resource management policy analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: United States Transportation Command United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is a Department of Defense (DOD) combatant command responsible for providing air, land, and se more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN11831) on Sept. 9, 2024, by American national government analysts Sarah J. Eckman and Karen L. Shanton: * * * Election Worker Safety and Privacy Concerns about election workers' safety and privacy have been reported in surveys, news articles, and congressional hearings from the 2020 elections through the current election cycle. Those concerns, along with a perceived increase in political more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12340) on Sept. 10, 2024, by economic policy analyst D. Andrew Austin. Here are excerpts: * * * The FY2025 President's Budget in Historical Context On March 11, 2024, the Biden Administration submitted its budget for FY2025, which proposes increased federal revenues, continued growth in mandatory outlays, and decreased discretionary outlays relative to the size of the economy. In June 2 more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12309) on Sept. 10, 2024, by Middle Eastern affairs specialist Christopher M. Blanchard. Here are excerpts: * * * Iraq: Attacks and U.S. Strikes Reopen Discussion of U.S. Military Presence After a months-long pause (Figure 1), recurrent attacks on facilities in Iraq hosting U.S. personnel and U.S. defensive measures could affect U.S.-Iraqi talks on the future of U.S. forces in Iraq. Ira more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12419) on Sept. 11, 2024, by nutrition assistance policy specialist Randy Alison Aussenberg and social policy specialist Gene Falk: * * * Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Benefit Theft Through Electronic Benefit Card Skimming SNAP provides federally funded benefits (not the same as cash) on Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards to eligible households to purchase eligi more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12420) on Sept. 11, 2024, by defense policy analyst Jennifer DiMascio. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Counterspace Capabilities What Is Counterspace? Counterspace operations can be either offensive or defensive. Offensive counterspace operations aim to deceive an adversary, disrupt the use of a space system (such as a satellite), temporarily deny the use of a space system, degrade or im more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11225) on Sept. 12, 2024, by legislative attorney Alejandra Aramayo: * * * DOL Final Rule Addressing H-2A Worker Protections and Pending Litigation On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published the final rule "Improving Protections for Workers in Temporary Agricultural Employment in the United States" (the "Farmworker Protection Rule"). This rule affects the H-2A more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11226) on Sept. 12, 2024, by legislative attorney April J. Anderson: * * * Equal Protection and Race- or Sex-Conscious Government Action: Case Developments A number of federal lawsuits have alleged that certain race- or sex-conscious federal programs are unconstitutional on equal protection grounds. Challenged programs include COVID-19 relief programs, admissions programs at servi more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11224) on Sept. 11, 2024, by legislative attorney Peter J. Benson: * * * Moody v. NetChoice, LLC: The Supreme Court Addresses Facial Challenges to State Social Media Laws On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court vacated the judgments in two consolidated First Amendment challenges to state laws that regulate certain online platforms' moderation of user-posted content and remanded the cas more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47943) on Sept. 10, 2024, entitled "Joint Employment and the National Labor Relations Act" by legislative attorney Jon O. Shimabukuro: * * * SUMMARY The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) recognizes the right of most private sector employees to engage in collective bargaining through their chosen representatives. By "encouraging the practice and procedure of collective bargaining," the act a more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48178) on Sept. 10, 2024, entitled "Post-9/11 GI Bill Transferability: Frequently Asked Questions" by education policy specialist Cassandria Dortch. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Congress determined that because military service in Iraq and Afghanistan following September 11, 2001, was particularly challenging, servicemembers from that era deserved a veterans educational assistance program more ro more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47715) on Sept. 10, 2024, entitled "The U.N. System: Frequently Asked Questions" by international relations specialist Luisa Blanchfield. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The United Nations (UN) system is a group of interconnected entities that includes the United Nations itself, UN specialized agencies, UN peacekeeping operations, UN funds and programs, and other related bodies. Entities wi more PR

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47715) on Sept. 10, 2024, entitled "The U.N. System - Frequently Asked Questions:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * How Is the UN System Funded? Article 17 of the UN Charter requires each UN member to contribute to the expenses of the organization. Most UN entities are funded largely by contributions from governments./36 Depending on their structure, UN bodies are funded through assessed  more PR