WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12035) on Feb. 22, 2024, by Andres B. Schwarzenberg, international trade and finance specialist: * * * China's Global Investments: Data and Transparency Challenges During the past 20 years, the People's Republic of China (PRC or China) has significantly increased its investment overseas. In 1999, China launched its "Go Global Strategy" to support the expansion of Chinese firms abroad an  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10890) on Feb. 20, 2024. The white paper was written by international crime and narcotics specialist Liana W. Rosen and Asian affairs specialists Susan V. Lawrence and Ricardo Barrios: * * * China Primer: Illicit Fentanyl and China's Role In addressing the international dimension of the opioid crisis in the United States, policymakers have sought to stop foreign-sourced fentanyl, fentan  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11035) on Feb. 22, 2024, by Andres B. Schwarzenberg, international trade and finance specialist: * * * Managed Trade and Quantitative Restrictions: Issues for Congress Background Congress plays a prominent role in shaping U.S. trade policy, due in part to trade policy's impact on the overall health of the U.S. economy and specific sectors, the success of U.S. businesses and workers, an  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10516) on Feb. 22, 2024, by Congress and legislative process specialist Valerie Heitshusen and defense budget analyst Brendan W. McGarry: * * * Defense Primer: Navigating the NDAA The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has a history of regular passage. FY2024 marked the 63rd consecutive fiscal year for which an annual defense authorization was enacted. Many policymakers and  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12593) on Feb. 20, 2024, by Congress specialist Jacob R. Straus. Here are excerpts: * * * Nickels and Dimes: History and Current Status The Secretary of the Treasury, through the U.S. Mint, is statutorily authorized to issue specific circulating coin denominations (31 U.S.C. Sec.5112). Currently, the United States has six circulating coin denominations--dollar, half dollar, quarter doll  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12594) on Feb. 20, 2024, by financial economics analyst Eva Su. Here are excerpts: * * * Payment for Order Flow (PFOF) and Broker-Dealer Regulation Policymakers have scrutinized certain rebates that brokerage firms receive for executing retail investor stock trades, with particular attention to payment for order flow (PFOF). PFOF raises issues related to potential conflicts of interest  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB10458) on Feb. 21, 2024. The white paper was written by law librarian Calvin Gibson and legislative attorneys Kelsey Y. Santamaria and Hillel R. Smith. Here are excerpts: * * * Presidential Authority to Suspend Entry of Aliens Under 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1182(f) Updated February 21, 2024 The President has the authority "to suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens" whenever  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11117) on Feb. 21, 2024, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia and legislative attorney Dorothy C. Kafka: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Recent Appellate Decisions of Interest to Lawmakers (February 12-February 19, 2024) The federal courts issue hundreds of decisions every week in cases involving diverse legal disputes. This Sidebar series selects decisions from the   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB10954) on Feb. 20, 2024, by legislative attorney L. Paige Whitaker: * * * Recent Developments in the Rights of Private Individuals to Enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act On November 20, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (Eighth Circuit) in Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. Arkansas Board of Apportionment affirmed a federal district court ruling that Sec  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11116) on Feb. 20, 2024, by legislative attorney Valerie C. Brannon: * * * State Social Media Laws at the Supreme Court On February 26, 2024, the Supreme Court is to hear oral argument over the constitutionality of Florida and Texas laws that restrict online platforms' ability to moderate user content. The U.S. Courts of Appeals opinions in these cases present two different views o  more