United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2023
Deliver Executive Profits On Seized Institutions to Taxpayers Act or the DEPOSIT Act This bill imposes an increased tax rate on bonuses paid after March 1, 2023, and profits from sales of bank stock received by highly-paid bank executives employed by failing banks that were closed and for which the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has been appointed conservator or receiver. The bill expresses the sense of the Congress that revenues from such increased taxes be returned to the Deposit Insurance Fund of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2023
Plum Island National Monument Act This bill establishes Plum Island, New York, as a national monument for the purpose of ecological conservation, historical preservation, and the discovery and celebration of our shared cultural heritage. The Department of the Interior must prepare a general management plan for the monument.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2023
Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to address the limitations on Reid Vapor Pressure (a measure of gasoline's volatility) that are placed on gasoline during the summer ozone season. Specifically, the bill applies the waiver for Reid Vapor Pressure requirements that are applicable to gasoline blended with 10% ethanol (E10) to gasoline blended with more than 10% ethanol. This change allows gasoline that is blended with more than 10% ethanol to be sold year round.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2023
This resolution requires Members and employees of the House of Representatives to annually complete emergency preparedness training. The training must cover cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using automated external defibrillators.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2023
Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023 This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the female telephone operators of the Army Signal Corps, commonly known as the Hello Girls , in recognition of their military service, devotion to duty, and 60-year struggle for veterans' benefits and recognition as soldiers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2023
Leveraging and Energizing America's Apprenticeship Programs Act or the LEAP Act This bill allows employers a tax credit for each of their employees who participate in qualified apprenticeship programs. The credit is equal to $1,500 for each of the apprenticeship employees of the employer that exceeds a specified apprenticeship level determined by this bill. As an offset, the bill requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to coordinate with federal departments and independent agencies to devise a strategy to reduce government printing costs over the 10-year period beginning with FY2023.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2023
Eliminating Backlogs Act of 2023 This bill increases the number of employment-based immigration visas available. The total number of additional visas made available under this bill shall be based on a formula relating to certain types of visas issued from FY1992-FY2021. These visas shall be available in FY2024 and in subsequent fiscal years until they are used. Furthermore, the yearly cap on the number of employment-based immigration visas that are made available to a single country shall not apply to the visas made available under this bill. (Generally, individuals from a single country may only receive up to 7% of such visas made available in a fiscal year.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2023
This resolution expresses support for the designation of Pi Day. (Pi is an irrational number that equals the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter; it is a fundamental mathematical constant and central in mathematics, science, and engineering.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2023
Emerging Business Encouragement Act of 2023 This bill directs the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish criteria and procedures for small businesses to be designated as emerging business enterprises. The bill provides for various benefits to such enterprises, such as waiving various loan fees and requiring federal agencies to award at least 3% of contracts in each fiscal year to such enterprises.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2023
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex, which is defined to include pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. Specifically, it limits an employer's defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than sex to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims, enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, and makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages. The bill also increases civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program to provide training in negotiation skills related to compensation and equitable working conditions, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The bill establishes the National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. It also establishes the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to address compliance, public education, and enforcement of equal pay laws. Finally, the bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act This bill provides for Medicare coverage of germline mutation testing for individuals with a personal or family history of a hereditary cancer gene mutation or suspected history of hereditary cancer, as well as for associated coverage of risk-reducing surgeries and screenings.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes and provides specified funds for the Department of Agriculture's Healthy Food Financing Initiative through FY2028 and for each fiscal year thereafter. (This program provides capacity building and financial resources to eligible healthy food retailers and food supply chain enterprises to assist them in overcoming the high costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved areas.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and revises the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. Under the program, the Department of Energy provides grants to local governments, states, and Indian tribes for energy efficiency and conservation projects and programs. This bill expands the allowable uses of grant funds to include the deployment of energy distribution technologies that significantly expand access to alternative fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Good Jobs for Good Airports Act This bill modifies pay, benefits, and labor standards for certain airport service workers. Airport service workers include security officers, food service workers, cleaning staff, ticketing agents, and retail service workers. Specifically, the bill prohibits small, medium, and large hub airports from accessing certain federal funds for airport projects unless the airports certify that such airport service workers are paid no less than the higher of $15 per hour; the applicable federal, state, or local minimum wage and fringe benefits; or the prevailing wage and fringe benefits required under the Service Contract Act, which the bill requires the Department of Labor to establish.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Federal Firearm Licensee Act This bill makes various changes to the federal statutory framework governing the sale or disposition of firearms by federally licensed dealers, importers, and manufacturers (i.e., federal firearms licensees, or FFLs). Specifically, the bill establishes new requirements, including for FFLs to secure their business premises and conduct physical checks of their business inventories. It also expands the recordkeeping and reporting requirements with which FFLs must comply; broadens the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to administer federal firearms laws and investigate violations; and increases penalties on FFLs for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 20 2 3 This bill repeals certain work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The requirements apply to able-bodied adults who are ages 18-49 and have no dependent children. Individuals who do not meet certain work requirements are generally prohibited from receiving more than 3 months of SNAP benefits over a 36-month period. Under current law, some of the work requirements under SNAP are temporarily suspended due to COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
This resolution recognizes the disparity between wages paid to men and women, and its impact on women, families, and the nation and reaffirms Congress' commitment to supporting equal pay and to narrowing the gender wage gap.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Stop Corporate Capture Act This bill modifies the process for federal agency rulemaking. Specifically, it (1) requires interested parties who submit a study or research as part of a comment to a proposed rule to disclose the source of the funding for the study or research, (2) limits the use of the negotiated rulemaking process to government agencies, (3) provides statutory authority for the judicial principle that requires courts to defer to an agency's reasonable or permissible interpretation of a federal law when the law is silent or ambiguous (i.e., the Chevron doctrine), and (4) establishes an Office of the Public Advocate to support public participation in the rulemaking process. Additionally, a public company that knowingly makes a false or misleading statement in a comment to a proposed rule is subject to a civil penalty of not less than $250,000 for a first violation and not less than $1 million for each subsequent violation. Finally, the bill provides agencies with the authority to reissue a rule that has been rescinded under a joint resolution of disapproval pursuant to the Congressional Review Act. For one year, beginning on the date of enactment of this bill, an agency may reinstate such a rule by publishing it in the Federal Register. After the one-year period, an agency may reinstate a rule using notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2023
Violet's Law This bill requires federal research facilities to facilitate the adoption or nonlaboratory placement of dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits with animal rescue organizations, animal sanctuaries, animal shelters, or individuals. In order to be adopted or placed, the animals must no longer be needed for research and be suitable for release. To be suitable for release, the animal must be free of any infectious disease or physical abnormality that would endanger the animal, other animals, or public health.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2023
Striking and Locked Out Workers Healthcare Protection Act This bill prohibits an employer from terminating an employee's health insurance coverage during certain labor disputes. Specifically, the bill prohibits an employer from terminating or altering the employer-provided health insurance coverage of an employee during the period that the employer is taking action to lock out, suspend, or otherwise withhold employment from the employee in order to influence the position of such employee or the representative of such employee in collective bargaining prior to a strike. It also prohibits an employer from terminating or altering such coverage during the period that an employee is engaged in a lawful strike. The bill establishes civil penalties for each violation of the prohibitions under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2023
Stop Our Sexual Assault in the Military Act This bill requires servicemembers on active duty to receive self-defense training to combat sexual assault. Such training must occur once a month.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Financing Lead Out of Water Act of 2023 This bill allows the issuance of tax-exempt private activity bonds to finance the replacement of any privately-owned portion of a lead service line in a public water system. Specifically, the bill provides that the use of proceeds from such bonds for replacement of a lead service line does not constitute private business use.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Expanding America's National Cemetery Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs, before Arlington National Cemetery reaches capacity, to expand or otherwise modify an existing national cemetery to ensure that full military honors are provided in a specified manner. Specifically, the VA must expand or modify such a cemetery to ensure that full military honors are provided (1) in a manner consistent with the full military honors provided for interment in Arlington National Cemetery as of March 31, 2023; and (2) using the eligibility criteria in effect on March 31, 2023, for providing full military honors for interment in Arlington National Cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Marine Mammal Climate Change Protection Act This bill establishes requirements to protect marine mammals adversely affected by climate change, including by establishing a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to monitor the adverse impacts of climate change on marine mammals. In addition, it also requires NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to issue regulations that list marine mammal species in waters under U.S. jurisdiction for which climate change is more likely than not to result in a decline in population abundance, an impeded population recovery, or a reduced carrying capacity (i.e., the maximum population of a marine mammal species that an area will support without undergoing deterioration). The NMFS and the USFWS must update the list at least once every five years and issue regulations that include climate impact management plans for species on such list. The bill also directs the NMFS and the USFWS to review agreements with foreign governments concerning the management of marine mammals that are or may be affected by climate change. The Department of State must initiate amendments to such agreements or negotiate the development of such agreements in a manner consistent with the goals of the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
911 Community Crisis Responders Act of 2023 This bill authorizes grants to dispatch unarmed, specialized health care or social service providers to respond to nonviolent emergency calls instead of law enforcement officers. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration may award grants to states, tribal governments (and consortia of tribal governments), and localities. Recipients may use the grants for hiring and training necessary staff, working with 9-1-1 dispatchers and 9-8-8 call centers to appropriately dispatch services in response to nonviolent emergency calls, and connecting individuals with local health and social service providers. (The 9-8-8 system provides callers with mental health or suicide crisis support and resources.)
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
STEM Restoring Employment Skills through Targeted Assistance, Re-entry, and Training Act or the STEM RESTART Act This bill establishes a new national program to support mid-career workers, including workers from underrepresented or rural populations, in reentering or transitioning to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce by awarding grants to certain small- and medium-sized businesses to assist such workers in reentering or transitioning to the workforce at positions above entry level.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
This resolution condemns the shootings that occurred in Monterey Park, California, on January 21, 2023, and in Half Moon Bay, California, on January 23, 2023, and reaffirms the commitment of the federal government to combat gun violence and violence targeting Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other communities of color.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Civics Learning Act of 2023 This bill expands the use of American History and Civics Education—National Activities grants to prioritize innovative civics learning and teaching. Specifically, the bill expands the allowable uses of these grants to include activities related to women's suffrage and the civil rights movement; before-, during-, and after-school activities and extracurricular activities; activities that include service learning and community service projects that are linked to school curriculum; activities that encourage and support student participation in school governance; and online and video game-based learning. Further, the Department of Education must ensure that specified percentages of grant funds are awarded on a diverse basis to eligible entities (e.g., institutions of higher education) that serve students and teachers at elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
This resolution expresses the sense that the federal government should adopt a global health solidarity strategy to end medically avertable deaths and respond to the full burden of disease in poor countries; the federal government should use laws and diplomatic influence to stop ongoing economic harms to the global South; and it is the duty of the federal government to issue reparations, including for slavery and colonialism.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Sultana Steamboat Disaster Commemorative Coin Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the Sultana steamboat explosion that occured on April 27, 1865, on the Mississippi River. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to the Sultana Historical Preservation Society for the purpose of establishing, operating, and maintaining a museum.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2023
Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2023 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to make grants to states, local governments, or gun dealers to conduct gun buyback programs. The BJA may distribute smart prepaid cards for use by a state, local government, or gun dealer to compensate individuals who dispose of firearms. Additionally, the bill establishes a new criminal offense for using or accepting a smart prepaid card in the acquisition or transfer of a firearm or ammunition. A violator is subject to a fine, up to two years in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2023
Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Act This bill withdraws Oak Flat (which consists of 2,422 acres of Forest System land in the Tonto National Forest in southeastern Arizona) from mining activity. The bill repeals authorization for Oak Flat to be exchanged for land held by Resolution Copper Mining, LLC.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Major Richard Star Act This bill provides that combat-disabled uniformed services retirees with fewer than 20 years of creditable service may concurrently receive, without reduction, veterans' disability compensation and retired pay or combat-related special compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act of 2023 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out a research program that addresses diagnosis and treatment, public health surveillance, and other aspects of cerebral palsy (a group of disorders caused by abnormal brain development or brain damage that affects an individual's ability to move and maintain balance and posture).
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Gun Records Restoration and Preservation Act This bill amends several appropriations laws to remove limitations on the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to conduct activities related to the administration of federal firearms laws. Specifically, the bill removes provisions that limit the use of firearms tracing data, limit the disclosure of data under the Freedom of Information Act, prohibit imposing a requirement that gun dealers conduct a physical inventory, prohibit consolidating or centralizing records maintained by federal firearm licensees (e.g., gun dealers), and require national instant criminal background check records to be destroyed within 24 hours.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2023 This bill requires or authorizes various policies for the Peace Corps program. For example, the bill increases the minimum rate for readjustment allowances paid to Peace Corps volunteers upon their return to the United States; requires the Peace Corps to establish processes to return volunteers to service after their service has been interrupted by a mandatory evacuation, and to strive to allow evacuated volunteers to return to the country in which they had formerly been assigned (except for Peace Corps missions in China); requires the Peace Corps to provide separating volunteers with information on postservice health care options; provides statutory authority to an executive order that provides returning volunteers with noncompetitive eligibility for federal employment purposes (i.e., eligibility to be noncompetitively appointed to a competitive federal position); requires the Peace Corps to implement a zero-tolerance policy regarding volunteer or trainee involvement with illegal drugs; requires the Peace Corps to take all reasonable measures to prevent and address reprisal or retaliation against a volunteer by any person with supervisory authority over the volunteer, such as a Peace Corps officer; and authorizes suspension without pay for employees engaged in serious misconduct that could impact the efficiency of the service and could lead to removal for cause.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act of 2023 This bill requires certain medical devices with a digital interface to meet nonvisual accessibility standards established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Specifically, the FDA must establish regulations to require a Class II or Class III medical device with a digital interface to provide a blind or low-vision user access to the same services and information, and generally the same ease of use, as provided to a user who is not low-vision or blind. (The FDA classifies medical devices in three classes. Class I devices are low-risk, Class II devices are moderate-risk, and Class III devices are high-risk.) A Class II or Class III medical device that does not meet the nonvisual accessibility standards established under this bill may not be sold. However, the FDA may waive the bill's requirements for a device upon a showing that applying the standards would fundamentally alter the nature of the device or create an undue hardship for the manufacturer. The bill also does not apply to devices that are intended solely for use by a health care provider or in a setting outside the home.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2023 This bill expands eligibility for Post-9/11 GI bill benefits and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program by updating terminology related to certain Black veterans. Specifically, the bill explicitly includes the following individuals as eligible veterans under the programs: Black veterans who served on active duty during World War II and can certify they were denied a specific benefit on the basis of race; and the living surviving spouses, children, grandchildren, or other direct descendants of such veterans described above who can certify the veteran was denied a specific benefit on the basis of race. Eligible veterans must apply for educational or home loan benefits within the five-year period after the bill is enacted. The Government Accountability Office must report on the number of individuals who received VA educational or housing loan benefits due to the amendments made by the bill and the total value of such benefits. Finally, the VA must appoint a panel of independent experts to develop recommendations regarding additional benefits and assistance for female and minority members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Fort Pillow National Battlefield Park Study Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Fort Pillow Historic State Park in Henning, Tennessee, which was the site of the Battle of Fort Pillow during the Civil War, as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Food Deserts Act This bill establishes a grant program within the Department of Agriculture to reduce food deserts. Under the program, grants are provided to states for revolving funds that support the establishment and operation of grocery stores in underserved communities. Underserved communities are communities that have (1) limited access to affordable, healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in grocery retail stores or farmer-to-consumer direct markets; and (2) a high rate of hunger, a high rate of food insecurity, or a high poverty rate. The bill requires states to use such funds for loans that support grocery stores in underserved communities, including for opening a store (excluding new construction), or supporting an existing store. In order to qualify for loans, grocery stores must meet criteria enumerated in the bill. For example, grocery stores must (1) emphasize unprocessed, healthful foods; (2) provide staple foods and a variety of raw fruits and vegetables; and (3) charge affordable prices at or below market values. Further, states must prioritize loan applications from entities that meet criteria related to hiring workers from the underserved community, providing classes or educational information about a healthful diet, sourcing food from local urban farms and gardens, and demonstrating existing supply chain relationships in the grocery industry.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Broadband Incentives for Communities Act This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish a grant program to assist local governments and Indian tribes with efficient review and approval of zoning or permitting applications that facilitate the deployment of broadband infrastructure. Grant recipients must use awarded funds to build application processing capacity or to purchase technology, software, and equipment to facilitate the processing of applications. The NTIA must also establish the Local Broadband Advisory Council to develop solutions to challenges faced by local governments, Indian tribes, and infrastructure providers in facilitating wireless and broadband deployment, including in unserved and underserved communities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Sarah Keys Evans Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Sarah Keys Evans in recognition of her achievements relating to the desegregation of passengers on interstate buses in the 1950s.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2023 This bill expands protections for airline passengers with disabilities and requires air carriers to meet certain minimum accessibility standards. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must prescribe regulations setting minimum accessibility standards for new and existing aircraft, airport facilities, websites, and kiosks. The accessibility standards must address topics including boarding and deplaning equipment, including ensuring individuals can board and deplane an aircraft from their personal assistive devices (e.g., wheelchairs); seating accommodations; lavatories; visually accessible announcements; and proper stowage of assistive devices in the cargo hold to prevent damage. Existing aircraft have five years from the effective date of the regulations to comply with the standards. DOT must assess civil penalties against an air carrier for violations of these provisions and refer patterns of discrimination to the Department of Justice (DOJ). DOT must also ensure that passengers with disabilities may (1) file a complaint with the agency in response to disability-related discrimination, and (2) receive assistance through a toll-free hotline or other electronic method. Further, the bill authorizes DOJ and aggrieved passengers to bring civil actions for discrimination against an air carrier.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act of 2023 This bill requires air carriers and ticket agents to offer full cash refunds for airline tickets if (1) an air carrier cancels or significantly delays a flight, or (2) a passenger cancels their ticket for a flight at least 48 hours before the scheduled departure time. The bill permits air carriers and tickets agents to offer alternative forms of compensation, including credit or vouchers, provided that such offer is valid indefinitely, and the offer includes a clear and conspicuous notice of the passenger's right to a cash refund. Additionally, the bill requires air carriers and ticket agents to disclose to passengers, prior to the sale of airline tickets, that they can cancel their tickets and receive a full refund.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Decreasing Emergency Railroad Accident Instances Locally Act or the DERAIL Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to expand the statutory definition of a high-hazard flammable train (HHFT), thereby subjecting more trains to additional safety requirements. Specifically, DOT must expand the definition of HHFT to mean a train transporting one or more loaded tank cars of a Class 3 flammable liquid (e.g., benzene residue) or a Class 2 flammable gas (e.g., vinyl chloride) and other materials DOT determines necessary for safety. Current regulations define HHFT as a train transporting 20 or more loaded tank cars of a Class 3 flammable liquid in a continuous block or 35 or more loaded tank cars of a Class 3 flammable liquid dispersed throughout the train. The bill also requires railway carriers to report a train derailment that involves a train carrying material toxic by inhalation within 24 hours of the derailment to the National Response Center, state and local officials, and tribal governments.
![Official portrait of Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001072_200.jpg)