WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. 98-684) on Oct. 7, 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  more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10675) on Oct. 8, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert: * * * Army Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) What Is Security Force Assistance (SFA)? Security Force Assistance (SFA) is defined as "unified action to generate, employ, and sustain local, host-nation, or regional security forces in support of a legitimate authority." By definition "security f more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10675) on Oct. 9, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert: * * * Army Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) What Is Security Force Assistance (SFA)? Security Force Assistance (SFA) is defined as "unified action to generate, employ, and sustain local, host-nation, or regional security forces in support of a legitimate authority." By definition "security  more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12265) on Oct. 8, 2024, by Asian affairs specialist Thomas Lum and foreign affairs specialist Michael A. Weber: * * * China Primer: Human Rights Overview The nongovernmental human rights organization Freedom House describes China's party-state as an "authoritarian regime" that "has become increasingly repressive in recent years." Some analysts argue China has moved in a totalit more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11672) on Oct. 7, 2024, by naval affairs specialist Ronald O'Rourke. Here are excerpts: * * * Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program: Background and Issues for Congress Introduction The Coast Guard's Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) program envisages procuring 30 replacements for the Coast Guard's 35 aging river buoy tenders (WLRs), inland construction tenders (WLIC more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10544) on Oct. 10, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert and senior research librarian Barbara Salazar Torreon. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Department of the Army and Army Command Structure Overview Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution stipulates, "The Congress shall have power ... to raise and support Armies ... make Rules for the Governm more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10585) on Oct. 7, 2024. The white paper is written by natural resources policy specialists Carol Hardy Vincent, Laura B. Comay, Mark K. DeSantis, Eric P. Nardi and Anne A. Riddle. Here are excerpts: * * * The Federal Land Management Agencies The Property Clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, Section 3, clause 2) provides Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, a more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12265) on Oct. 9, 2024. The white paper is written by education policy specialists Rita R. Zota and Cassandria Dortch, and social policy specialist Alexandra Hegji. Here are excerpts: * * * Federal Student Aid Authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act Federal financial assistance for students pursuing postsecondary education is primarily provided through Title IV of t more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12770) on Oct. 10, 2024, by Middle Eastern affairs specialists Jim Zanotti and Clayton Thomas. Here are excerpts: * * * Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah: Conflict and Escalation A day after Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO) led October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel that began their ongoing war, Lebanese Hezbollah (another FTO) started shooting roc more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10675) on Oct. 8, 2024, by defense infrastructure policy analyst Andrew Tilghman. Here are excerpts: * * * Defense Primer: Military Installations Management The Department of Defense (DOD) and the three military departments - the Army, Navy, and Air Force - maintain distinctive organizational structures, policies, and programs for managing their installations. Section 2801 of T more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12782) on Oct. 10, 2024, by natural resources policy specialist Laura B. Comay. Here are excerpts: * * * Offshore Energy Agency Appropriations, FY2025 Three entities in the Department of the Interior (DOI) share responsibility for managing the nation's ocean energy resources on almost 2.5 billion acres of the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS). The Bureau of Ocean Energy Manage more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10571) on Oct. 10, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert and senior research librarian Barbara Salazar Torreon: * * * Defense Primer: Organization of U.S. Ground Forces Overview The Army is the U.S. military's primary ground force. Title 10, Subtitle B, Part I, Chapter 307 of the U.S. Code addresses the organization of the Army. The Marine Corps serves as  more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12781) on Oct. 10, 2024, by Meghan M. Stuessy, government organization and management analyst: * * * Presidential Libraries and Museums At the conclusion of a presidency, former Presidents and their supporters may seek to construct facilities to commemorate their terms of office and house presidential materials. In 1955, Congress enacted the Presidential Libraries Act (PLA; P.L. 84-373)  more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12778) on Oct. 7, 2024, by natural resources policy analysts Mark K. DeSantis and Eric P. Nardi. Here are excerpts: * * * Recreation.gov: Overview and Issues for Congress For many people looking to experience the country's federal lands and waters, their trip begins with a visit to Recreation.gov. Recreation.gov is a cloud-based website that offers federal recreation information more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12606) on Oct. 10, 2024, by Andrew S. Bowen, Russian and European affairs analyst: * * * Russian Military Performance and Outlook Despite advantages of a larger recruitment base and defense industrial capacity, the Russian military has been unable to decisively defeat the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Russian military has suff more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12149) on Oct. 7, 2024, by economic development policy analyst Adam G. Levin. Here are excerpts: * * * The Small Business Administration's State Trade Expansion Program American small businesses regularly export to international markets, contributing to both domestic and global economies by trading with approximately 95% of the world population living outside the United States.  more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12770) on Oct. 10, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert and senior research librarian Barbara Salazar Torreon: * * * Defense Primer: Special Operations Forces Overview Special Operations Forces (SOF) are those active duty and reserve component forces of the military services designated by the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and specifically selected, organiz more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12200) on Oct. 9, 2024, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert: * * * The U.S. Marine Corps Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) Background On March 23, 2020, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) announced a major force design initiative planned to occur over 10 years originally referred to as "Force Design 2030" but now known as "Force Design." As part of this initiative, the more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12437) on Oct. 8, 2024, by health care financing analyst Ryan J. Rosso. Here are excerpts: * * * 2023 Premium Tax Credit Tool: An Interactive Tool for Congressional Users This Insight accompanies the 2023 Premium Tax Credit Tool, a Microsoft Excel file that congressional users can download from CRS.gov. The tool was designed to assist Congress in evaluating policy considerations  more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12441) on Oct. 11, 2024, by health policy specialist Amanda K. Sarata: * * * FDA Regulation of Tampons An August 2024 study led by researchers at Columbia University evaluated the concentration of 16 different metals in multiple brands of tampons and reported detecting measurable concentrations of all 16 metals. The authors concluded that using tampons may be a potential source o more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12438) on Oct. 11, 2024. The white paper by section research manager Lauren R. Stienstra, American national government specialist Bruce R. Lindsay, flood insurance and emergency management specialist Diane P. Horn, homeland security and appropriations specialist William L. Painter and emergency management and disaster recovery specialists Erica A. Lee and Elizabeth M. Webster: * * more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12436) on Oct. 8, 2024, by military manpower specialist Kristy N. Kamarck. Here are excerpts: * * * FY2025 NDAA: Military Child Care Proposals In 2023, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) established a Quality of Life (QoL) Panel to develop proposals for a National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025 NDAA). On April 8, 2024, the QoL Panel released its fi more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN10784) on Oct. 8, 2024, by Diane P. Horn, flood insurance and emergency management specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * National Flood Insurance Program Borrowing Authority Updated October 8, 2024 This Insight evaluates the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) borrowing authority to receive loans from the Treasury and the current financial situation of the NFIP. NFIP Funding more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11239) on Oct. 7, 2024, by attorney-adviser Eric N. Holmes: * * * The Equal Time Rule for Political Candidates: Constitutional Context On July 23, 2024, two days after announcing that he would exit the 2024 presidential race, President Joe Biden wrote on social media that he would address the country on "what lies ahead." In advance of this address, news organizations repor more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. 94-834) on Oct. 10, 2024, entitled "Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities" by income security specialist Katelin P. Isaacs. Here are excerpts: * * * Summary Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Ur more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. 98-808) on Oct. 8, 2024, entitled "False Statements and Perjury: An Overview of Federal Criminal Law" by Charles Doyle, American public law senior specialist: * * * Summary Federal courts, Congress, and federal agencies rely upon truthful information in order to make informed decisions. Federal law therefore proscribes providing the federal courts, Congress, or federal agencies with false inform more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. 98-808) on Oct. 8, 2024, entitled "False Statements and Perjury - An Overview of Federal Criminal Law:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Perjury in a Judicial Context (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1623) Congress enacted Sec. 1623 to avoid some of the common law technicalities embodied in the more comprehensive perjury provisions found in Sec. 1621 and thus "to facilitate perjury prosecutions and thereby e more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. 98-807) on Oct. 8, 2024, entitled "False Statements and Perjury: An Abridged Overview of Federal Criminal Law" by Charles Doyle, American public law senior specialist: * * * Summary Federal courts, Congress, and federal agencies rely upon truthful information in order to make informed decisions. Federal law therefore proscribes providing the federal courts, Congress, or federal agencies with fa more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R43744) on Sept. 27, 2024, entitled "The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise: Background and Possible Issues for Congress" by Congress specialist Jacob R. Straus. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Monuments and Memorials Authorized Under the Commemorative Works Act in the District of Columbia: Current Development of In Progress and Lapsed Works Under the Commemorative Works Act (CWA) of 1986, Cong more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R43744) on Sept. 27, 2024, entitled "The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise - Background and Possible Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Site Locations to Be Determined John Adams and His Family In November 2001, Congress authorized the Adams Memorial Foundation to "establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to honor former more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RS20844) on Sept. 23, 2024, entitled "Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure" by immigration policy analyst Jill H. Wilson. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY When civil unrest, violence, or natural disasters erupt in countries around the world, concerns arise over the ability of certain foreign nationals present in the United States who are from those countries to safely ret more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RS20844) on Sept. 23, 2024, entitled "Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure:" (Continued from Part 1 of 3) * * * Central American Countries The only time Congress designated a country for TPS was in 1990 (as part of P.L. 101-649, the law establishing TPS) when it designated El Salvador for 18 months./71 In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in November 1998, then-Attorney G more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RS20844) on Sept. 23, 2024, entitled "Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure:" (Continued from Part 2 of 3) * * * Somalia Somalia has endured decades of chronic instability and humanitarian crises. Since the collapse of the authoritarian Siad Barre regime in 1991, it has lacked a viable central authority capable of exerting territorial control, securing its borders, or prov more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- - The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48194) on Oct. 3, 2024, entitled "The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise: Background and Possible Issues for Congress" by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Created in 2000, the Department of Energy's (DOE's) semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is responsible for managing the U.S. stockpile of nuclear warheads that the Department more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- - The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48194) on Oct. 3, 2024, entitled "The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise - Background and Possible Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 3) * * * Nuclear Security Enterprise Facilities Title 50, Section 2501 of the U.S. Code (50 U.S.C. Sec.2501) defines the NNSA "nuclear security enterprise" (NSE) as "the physical facilities, technology, and human capital of the national security l more PR

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrep) -- - The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48194) on Oct. 3, 2024, entitled "The U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise - Background and Possible Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 3) * * * Possible Issues for Congress As Congress conducts oversight of DOE's and NNSA's management, operations, and programs, and also authorizes and appropriates funds for NNSA Weapons Activities, it may address a range of issues. This section of more PR