WASHINGTON, May 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13010) on May 23, 2025, by health care financing analyst Vanessa C. Forsberg: * * * The ACA Preventive Services Coverage Requirement Per the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended), most private health insurance plans are required to cover specified preventive services and items without consumer cost sharing. This includes coverage of dozens of more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13007) on May 22, 2025, by environmental policy analysts Jerry H. Yen and Lance N. Larson: * * * The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): Statutory Authorities and Responsibilities The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is a public health agency primarily responsible for summarizing toxicity information on chemicals most commo more PR

WASHINGTON, May 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11248) on May 23, 2025, by legislative attorney Jared P. Cole: * * * Appellate Courts Divided Over School Employee Discrimination Lawsuits and Title IX Federal appellate courts have split over how two federal laws that bar sex discrimination in certain settings and programs relate to one another. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) bars (among other thing more PR

WASHINGTON, May 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10177) on May 28, 2025, by Cathleen D. Cimino-Isaacs, international trade and finance specialist and Karen M. Sutter, Asian trade and finance specialist. Here are excerpts: * * * Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency body chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury. It serves the Pres more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12449) on May 21, 2025, by senior research librarian Maura Mullins: * * * Connecting Constituents with Federal Assistance for Businesses Federal agencies assist businesses through a number of credit and technical assistance programs. With few exceptions, the federal government typically does not award grants for starting or expanding a for-profit business. Limited exceptions inc more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13008) on May 21, 2025, by legislative attorney Peter G. Berris and domestic security specialist Kristin Finklea: * * * Cryptocurrency Investment Scams Law enforcement, policymakers, victims, and the general public have expressed concern over technology-enabled scams affecting individuals' finances. These scams come in many forms, ranging from phishing, personal data breach, and more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12480) on May 27, 2025, by nonproliferation specialists Paul K. Kerr and Mary Beth D. Nikitin: * * * Current Issues for Syria's Chemical Weapons and Nuclear Weapons Programs On December 8, 2024, the government of Syria's Bashar Al Asad collapsed following armed offensives led by the Hay'at Tahrir al Sham (HTS) coalition. A successor government inherited unresolved international c more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11316) on May 27, 2025, by legislative attorney Abigail A. Graber: * * * Enforcing the Antidiscrimination Mandates of Title VI and Title IX: Executive Agency Options and Procedures A number of federal civil rights laws condition the receipt of federal funding on recipients' compliance with certain nondiscrimination obligations. Two well-known examples are Title VI of the C more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12519) on May 21, 2025, by senior research librarian Keigh E. Hammond and international trade and finance analyst Kyla H. Kitamura. Here are excerpts: * * * Expanded Section 232 Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. Sec.1862, as amended) authorizes the President to impose trade restrictions if the Secretary of Commerce determines more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12991) on May 22, 2025, by acting section research manager Ashley J. Lawson: * * * Federal Power Act: The Department of Energy's Emergency Authority Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. Sec.824a(c)) grants the Secretary of Energy certain authorities over the temporary operation of the electricity system during emergencies. An executive order issued by President Tru more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12861) on May 22, 2025, by financial economics specialists Karl E. Schneider and Andrew P. Scott. Here are excerpts: * * * Interest Rate Caps on Credit Cards Congress has paid attention to the costs associated with credit cards, one of the most popular payment options for consumers today. For example, the 118th Congress debated whether to reform the way credit card swipe fees a more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13011) on May 27, 2025, by American national government analyst Barry J. McMillion. Here are excerpts: * * * Judiciary Budget Request, FY2026 Overview The federal judiciary's FY2026 budget request was made public by the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts on April 25, 2025. The request seeks $9.4 billion in discretionary funding (an increase of 9.3% over the FY2025 enacted le more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12999) on May 28, 2025, by financial economics specialist Eva Su. Here are excerpts: * * * Legislative Proposals Affecting Capital Markets Funding Capital markets - the marketplace where securities such as stocks and bonds are issued and traded - provide major sources of funding for U.S. business operations. This In Focus summarizes selected legislative proposals aiming to expa more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11556) on May 22, 2025, 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  more PR

WASHINGTON, May 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10472) on May 23, 2025, by acting section research manager Mary Beth D. Nikitin: * * * North Korea's Nuclear Weapons and Missile Programs Overview North Korea continues to advance its nuclear weapons and missile programs despite UN Security Council sanctions and high-level diplomatic efforts. The country's ballistic missile testing, military parades, and policy statements sugge more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12552) on May 22, 2025. The white paper is written by financial economics specialists Karl E. Schneider and Raj Gnanarajah, macroeconomic policy specialist Marc Labonte and housing policy specialist Maggie McCarty: * * * One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Title V, House Committee on Financial Services On May 22, 2025, the House passed H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, providing f more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12551) on May 22, 2025, by financial economics specialists Karl E. Schneider and Baird Webel. Here are excerpts: * * * One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Title V, Provisions Related to CFPB Funding On May 22, 2025, the House passed H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, providing for budget reconciliation pursuant to H.Con.Res. 14, the budget resolution for FY2025. Title V (House Comm more PR

WASHINGTON, May 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10713) on May 23, 2025, by education policy specialist Rebecca R. Skinner and research assistant Isobel Sorenson: * * * Overview of Public and Private School Choice Options School choice generally refers to the opportunity for parents to select an elementary or secondary school for their child that differs from the assigned school that the child would otherwise attend based on w more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12528) on May 22, 2025, by energy policy analyst Martin C. Offutt. Here are excerpts: * * * Recent Executive Action on Spending: Potential Impact on Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58) authorized and funded an $8 billion program on Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (Section 40314 and Division J, Title III, of IIJA) - networks of more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12887) on May 22, 2025, by housing policy analyst Henry G. Watson. Here are excerpts: * * * Rental Housing There are over 48 million rental housing units in the United States. About one-third of households in the United States rent their housing. Rental housing prices have increased faster than prices for non-shelter goods and services in recent years. To address persistent hou more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12672) on May 22, 2025, by defense policy analyst Anya L. Fink: * * * Russia's Nuclear Weapons Russia presents an "acute threat" to the United States and its allies, according to the 2022 National Defense Strategy. The 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, a Biden Administration review of U.S. nuclear policy, states, 'Russia remains the U.S. rival with the most capable and diverse nucle more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12606) on May 28, 2025, by Andrew S. Bowen, Russian and European affairs analyst: * * * Russian Military Performance and Outlook Despite the advantages of a larger recruitment base and defense industrial capacity, the Russian military has not been able to decisively defeat the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Russian military has more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12555) on May 21, 2025, by Rachel Lindbergh, science and technology policy analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * Who Is an Astronaut? Safety Implications for Commercial Human Spaceflight On April 14, 2025, the company Blue Origin launched its New Shepard rocket with six women on board to the edge of space. This mission (NS-31) was the company's 11th mission with humans on board, and more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13009) on May 22, 2025. The white paper is written by research planning coordinator Erin H. Ward, natural resources policy specialist Carol Hardy Vincent and Congress and legislative process analyst Christopher M. Davis: * * * Secretary of the Interior's Federal Land Withdrawal Authority Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act Introduction Withdrawals preclude specifi more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13006) on May 22, 2025, by Kyla H. Kitamura, international trade and finance analyst. Here are excerpts: * * * Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress power to impose duties and regulate foreign commerce. Congress has delegated some of these authorities to the President through statutes. Section 232 of the Trad more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12556) on May 22, 2025, by energy policy specialists Melissa N. Diaz and Corrie E. Clark: * * * Status of Federal Implementation of EV Charging Infrastructure Shifts in policy priorities around electric vehicles (EVs) and the actions taken by the second Trump Administration have contributed to uncertainties regarding the federal role in EV charging infrastructure deployment. Acti more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11317) on May 27, 2025, by legislative attorney Bryan L. Adkins: * * * Supreme Court Considers Whether Federal Courts May Certify Class Actions When Some Proposed Class Members Are Uninjured On April 29, 2025, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings v. Davis (Labcorp v. Davis) about whether federal courts may certify class action more PR

WASHINGTON, May 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48543) on May 23, 2025, entitled "Transportation Security: Background and Issues for the 119th Congress." The report is written by aviation policy specialist Bart Elias, cybersecurity policy specialist Chris Jaikaran, energy policy specialist Paul W. Parfomak and transportation policy specialists John Frittelli, Ben Goldman and Jennifer J. Marshall. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The nati more PR

WASHINGTON, May 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48543) on May 23, 2025, entitled "Transportation Security - Background and Issues for the 119th Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 3) * * * The Use of Terrorist Watch Lists in the Aviation Domain Airlines had been responsible for checking passenger names against terrorist watch lists maintained by the government before the Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108- more PR

WASHINGTON, May 24 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48543) on May 23, 2025, entitled "Transportation Security - Background and Issues for the 119th Congress:" (Continued from Part 2 of 3) * * * Freight Rail Security/109 Freight trains generate roughly 29% of all freight ton-miles across all transportation modes in the United States, transported along a railway network over 130,000 miles long./110 In contrast to publicly owned and managed airp more PR

WASHINGTON, May 27 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11991) on May 22, 2025, 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 eq more PR

WASHINGTON, May 29 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11315) on May 27, 2025, by Charles Doyle, American public law senior specialist: * * * U.S. Prosecution of Overseas Torture On April 15, 2025, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the conviction of Michael Sang Correa by a federal court in Colorado for torture committed in the African country of The Gambia (hereinafter Gambia). The statute under which he more PR