WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The Blue Dog Coalition issued the following news release: * * * Blue Dogs Secure Housing Wins in Landmark Legislation * WASHINGTON D.C. -Today, the Blue Dog Coalition issued the following statement after the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law. This comprehensive housing package includes several provisions aimed at reducing regulatory barriers to construction, increasing supply, and supporting housing in rural communities. "This marks an important step toward fixing the onerous permitting process that has ha more PR

WASHINGTON, July 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48110) on July 14, 2026, entitled "Department of Defense Contractors and Efforts to Mitigate Foreign Influence" by defense policy analyst Alexandra G. Neenan: * * * SUMMARY Some U.S. firms, including some Department of Defense (DOD) contractors, receive foreign investment or have other ties to foreign entities, including foreign firms and foreign governments. DOD is "using a secondary Department of War designation," under Executive Order (E. more PR

WASHINGTON, July 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R42854) entitled "Emergency Assistance for Agricultural Land Rehabilitation" by Megan Stubbs, agricultural conservation and natural resources policy specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers several permanently authorized programs to help producers recover from natural disasters. Most of these programs offer financial assistance to producers for a loss in the production of crops or liv more PR

WASHINGTON, July 15 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R46499) entitled "The Federal Home Loan Bank System and Selected Policy Issues" by financial economics specialist Darryl E. Getter. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Federal Home Loan Bank Act of 1932 (FHLB Act; P.L. 72-304, 47 Stat. 128) created the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system, which was established to address frequent liquidity shortfalls, or cash flow disruptions, experienced by mortgage lenders during the Great Depression. Co more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49028) on July 10, 2026, entitled "Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025 - Context, Overview, Summary of Provisions" by Erica A. Lee emergency management and disaster recovery specialist Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which leads federal emergency management and disaster relief efforts, has recently been subject to numerous calls for reform. For years, state and local governm more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49028) on July 10, 2026, entitled "Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025 - Context, Overview, Summary of Provisions:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025: Section Analyses The tables below provide brief summaries of each section of the committee's FEMA Act of 2025 (based on the amended version of the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 4669 offered by Represen more PR

WASHINGTON, July 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49030) on July 13, 2026, entitled "Forward-Funded Federal Education Programs - Frequently Asked Questions" by education policy specialist Rebecca R. Skinner and legislative attorney Sean Stiff. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY In the annual appropriations process, Congress elects to make appropriations for certain federal education programs, in part, on a forward-funded basis. Programs funded in this manner receive appropriations in an appr more PR

WASHINGTON, July 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49032) on July 14, 2026, entitled "Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 119th Congress." The report is written by immigration policy specialists Jill H. Wilson, Holly Straut-Eppsteiner, Andorra Bruno, William A. Kandel, Abigail F. Kolker and Audrey Singer. Here are excerpts: * * * This report discusses immigration-related bills that have received congressional action in the 119th Congress as of the report's cover date. For the purpose more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49026) on July 10, 2026, entitled "NOAA's Geostationary Extended Observations Satellite Program and Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Issues for Congress The Trump Administration aims to reduce federal spending by modifying GeoXO./78 Modifications to the GeoXO program, including the number of satellites and planned instruments, may impact NOAA's continuous observational coverage over the Western Hemisphere, among oth more PR

WASHINGTON, July 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10003) by Maeve P. Carey, government organization and management specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * An Overview of Federal Regulations and the Rulemaking Process Overview of Rulemaking What Is Federal Rulemaking? Congress often grants rulemaking authority to federal agencies to implement statutory programs. The regulations issued pursuant to this authority can carry the force and effect of law and have substantial implicat more PR

WASHINGTON, July 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49031) on July 14, 2026, entitled "Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities Funded by the CHIPS Act: Project Status and Considerations for Congress" by Yong W. Kwon, industrial organization and business policy analyst: * * * SUMMARY Integrated circuits on silicon semiconductors - commonly called semiconductor microchips or "chips" - are components in electronic devices that perform functions such as data processing and storage. These chips are e more PR

WASHINGTON, July 14 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12705) by science and technology policy analyst Marcy E. Gallo. Here are excerpts: * * * Small Business Research Programs Reauthorized After Six-Month Lapse On April 13, 2026, President Trump signed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (P.L. 119-83) into law. P.L. 119-83 reauthorized the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, and related pilo more PR

WASHINGTON, July 12 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R49025) on July 9, 2026, entitled "Tribal Energy Resource Agreements: Overview and Selected Issues for Congress" by natural resources policy specialist Mariel J. Murray. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Pursuant to the federal trust responsibility and various federal statutes, the Department of the Interior (DOI) and federally recognized Tribes (hereinafter Tribes) manage energy production on tribal lands. The federal trust responsibility is more PR

WASHINGTON, July 14 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11455) by legislative attorney Daniel T. Shedd: * * * Veterans Law: Unaccredited Representatives Federal law prohibits an individual from charging any fee for assisting in the filing of an initial claim for VA benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In recent years, some Members of Congress, veteran service organizations (VSOs), and veterans have expressed concerns with certain for-profit entities charging more PR