WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * Blumenthal Statement on the Death of Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter [WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the statement below on the death of former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court David Souter: " In his deeply impactful insight and integrity, as well as dedication to the rule of law, former Supreme Court Justice David Souter was a quiet lead more PR

WASHINGTON, May 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12992) on May 9, 2025, by legislative attorney Valerie C. Brannon: * * * The "canons of construction" are a set of judicial presumptions about statutory meaning. The canons are one of the traditional tools judges use to interpret statutes, along with the text's ordinary meaning, context, legislative history, and implementation. Courts may assume that Congress is aware of the canons and leg more PR

WASHINGTON, May 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10031) on May 9, 2025. The white paper is written by legislative attorney David H. Carpenter, senior policy advisor Cheryl R. Cooper and financial economics analyst Karl E. Schneider: * * * In 2010, through enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank, P.L. 111-203), Congress established the CFPB to implement and enforce federal consumer financial more PR

WASHINGTON, May 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11309) on May 8, 2025, by legislative attorney Kate R. Bowers: * * * The Clean Air Act (CAA) has been described as a model of cooperative federalism, whereby states share authority with the federal government by regulating within a federally established legal framework. In particular, under Title I of the CAA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets nationwide standards r more PR

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wisconsin, issued the following news release: * * * Fitzgerald Co-Leads Legislation to Protect Wisconsinites and the Most Vulnerable from Obamacare's Medicaid Discrimination WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) co-introduced the Ending Medicaid Discrimination Against the Most Vulnerable Act, to allow Medicaid to work best for those who need it most by: * Stopping Obamacare's discrimination of the most vulnerable by phasing out  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11311) on May 8, 2025, by legislative attorneys Hannah-Alise Rogers and Wen W. Shen: * * * On March 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, or the Department) announced a reorganization plan to consolidate several of its operating divisions and offices in accordance with an executive order. Among the changes, the press release describes * the creation of the more PR

WASHINGTON, May 11 (TNSres) -- A report from the Institute for Women's Policy research published in April 2025, "Birthing While Black: The Urgent Fight for Maternal Health Reform Series," authored by Dr. Martinique Free and Andrea Flynn, highlights the detrimental impact of restrictive reproductive health policies and increasing healthcare consolidation on Black maternal health outcomes in the United States. The brief argues that a confluence of factors over the past fifteen years has systematic more PR

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 10 -- The Maine Senate Democrats issued the following news on behalf of Maine State Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth: * * * Sen. Carney bill to update Maine's statutory definition of "machine gun" and to prohibit rapid-fire devices receives committee support Bill protects public safety in Maine by banning bump stocks, other rapid-fire devices AUGUSTA -- On Wednesday, May 7, the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary voted to advance LD 677, "An Act to Update the Statutor more PR

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 5/2/2025-5/9/2025 Combatting Trump's Crypto Corruption [WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), opened a preliminary inquiry into the $TRUMP cryptocurrency, World Liberty Financial Inc. (WLFI), and other associated business ventures following recent report more PR

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: * * * Shaheen Statement on the Passing of Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter (Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released the following statement on the passing of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter: "Today, I join people in New Hampshire and across America in grieving the loss of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter - a devoted public servant who more PR

WASHINGTON, May 11 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10715) on March 18, 2025, by Latin American affairs specialist Clare Ribando Seelke: * * * Since 2005, the United States has imposed targeted sanctions on Venezuelan individuals and entities that have engaged in criminal, antidemocratic, or corrupt actions. U.S. sanctions have been imposed via both executive and congressional action. In response to increasing repression and corruption unde more PR