United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2025
This bill increases the annual limit on the tax credit for qualified railroad track maintenance expenses (also referred to as the short line railroad tax credit) and expands eligibility for claiming the credit. Under current law, the tax credit is limited each tax year to $3,500 multiplied by the sum of the number of miles of railroad track owned or leased by the taxpayer (miles owned or leased) and the number of railroad track miles assigned to the taxpayer by a Class II or III railroad (miles assigned). This bill increases the annual limit to $6,100 multiplied by the sum of miles owned or leased and miles assigned. The $6,100 amount used in the calculation of the tax credit limit is adjusted for inflation for tax years beginning after 2025. The bill also expands eligibility for the tax credit to include gross expenses for maintaining railroad tracks owned or leased as of January 1, 2024. Under current law, the tax credit is limited to gross expenses for maintaining railroad tracks owned or leased as of January 1, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2025
Make the Migrant Protection Protocols Mandatory Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to remove certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) from the United States while such an individual's application for admission is pending. Specifically, if such an individual arrived by land from a foreign country bordering the United States and the individual is not clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to admission into the United States, DOJ must return that individual to that bordering foreign country while the individual's application for admission is pending. (Currently, DOJ may choose to detain such an individual or return the individual to the bordering foreign country while the application for admission is pending.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2025
Qualified Immunity Act of 2025 This bill provides statutory authority for qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in civil cases involving constitutional violations. Current law provides a statutory civil cause of action against state and local government actors (e.g., law enforcement officers) for violations of constitutional rights, also known as Section 1983 lawsuits. The Supreme Court has also found an implied cause of action against federal law enforcement officers in certain situations (e.g., Fourth Amendment violations), also known as Bivens lawsuits. However, under the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity, government officials performing discretionary duties are generally shielded from civil liability, unless their actions violate clearly established rights of which a reasonable person would have known. The bill provides statutory authority for these principles with respect to law enforcement officers. Specifically, under the bill, law enforcement officers are entitled to qualified immunity if (1) at the time of the alleged violation, the constitutional right at issue was not clearly established or the state of the law was not sufficiently clear that every reasonable officer would have known that the conduct was unconstitutional; or (2) a court has held that the specific conduct at issue is constitutional. The bill applies to federal, state, and local law enforcement officers. It also specifies that law enforcement agencies and local governments may not be held liable if their officers are entitled to qualified immunity.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2025
Offshore Lands Authorities Act of 2025 This bill limits the withdrawal of unleased lands of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from areas that may be leased for mineral development and nullifies certain past withdrawals. The OCS includes the federally managed ocean area extending from the outer boundaries of state-controlled waters (generally 3 nautical miles [nmi] from shore) to 200 nmi from shore, with some exceptions. Specifically, the bill limits the President's authority to restrict offshore development of minerals, such as oil and gas, on the OCS. For example, the bill (1) caps the number of acres of OCS lands that a President may withdraw from areas that may be leased; (2) prohibits withdrawals from being made for a period longer than 20 years; (3) prohibits the President from making withdrawals of unleased land that conflict with areas included in lease sales scheduled under approved oil and gas leasing programs; and (4) prohibits the President from withdrawing unleased lands unless the Department of the Interior has completed assessments addressing issues such as mineral resources and the national security, economic, and energy value of the identified mineral deposits. The President must also obtain congressional approval before withdrawing more than 500,000 acres cumulatively. Further, the bill gives Congress the authority to review and disapprove withdrawals by enacting a joint resolution. In addition, the bill nullifies certain presidential memoranda and executive orders related to withdrawing unleased land from areas that may be leased for the development of oil, gas, or other minerals on the OCS.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2025
No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities Act This bill limits the indirect costs that are allowable under federal research awards to institutions of higher education (IHEs) with endowments above specified thresholds. (Generally, indirect costs represent expenses that are not specific to a research project but are needed to maintain the infrastructure and administrative support for federally funded research.) Specifically, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) must annually collect information regarding the endowments of each IHE that has entered into a program participation agreement with the Department of Education. With this collected information, NCES must identify and make lists of (1) each IHE with an endowment of more than $5 billion, and (2) each IHE with an endowment of more than $2 billion (but not more than $5 billion). NCES must submit these lists to the Office of Management and Budget, which must then distribute the lists to federal agencies, Congress, and the public. The bill establishes the following limits on the indirect costs allowable under federal research awards: for an IHE with an endowment of more than $5 billion, the IHE is prohibited from using these awards for indirect costs; for an IHE with an endowment of more than $2 billion (but not more than $5 billion), the IHE is limited to an indirect cost rate of 8%; and for all other IHEs, an indirect cost rate of 15%. The Government Accountability Office must annually report to Congress on indirect cost reimbursement on federal research awards for IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2025
Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act This bill repeals the Corporate Transparency Act. The act requires existing companies and newly created companies to report beneficial ownership information to the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network for purposes of addressing the financing of terrorism and money laundering.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2025
Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of Congressional Gold Medals to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team in recognition of the team's achievement at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2025
States' Education Reclamation Act of 2025 This bill abolishes the Department of Education (ED) and repeals any program for which it has administrative responsibility. The Department of the Treasury must provide grants to states, for FY2025-FY2033, for elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education purposes permitted by state law. The level of funding is set at the amount provided to states for federal elementary and secondary education programs and the amount provided for federal postsecondary education programs, respectively, for FY2025, minus the funding provided for education programs that the bill transfers to other federal agencies. States must contract for an annual audit of their expenditures or transfers of grant funds. Program administrative responsibility and delegation of authority are transferred as follows: ED's job training programs to the Department of Labor, each special education grant program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ED's Indian education programs to the Department of the Interior, each Impact Aid program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to the Department of Defense, the Federal Pell Grant program and each federal student loan program to Treasury, and programs under the jurisdiction of the Institute of Education Sciences or the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program to HHS. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on (1) the feasibility of reducing the federal tax burden and eliminating federal involvement in providing grants for education programs, and (2) the feasibility of successor federal agencies maintaining transferred education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2025
Make Greenland Great Again Act This bill authorizes the President to seek to enter into negotiations with Denmark to acquire Greenland. If such an agreement is reached, the President must transmit the agreement and related materials to Congress within five calendar days. The agreement shall go into effect 60 calendar days after such transmission unless Congress enacts a joint resolution of disapproval.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2025
This concurrent resolution affirms the commitments in the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family and applauds the signatory countries for their dedication to advancing women's health, protecting life at every stage while affirming that there is no international right to abortion, and upholding the importance of the family as foundational to society. The resolution also states that Congress will work with the executive branch to ensure that the United States does not conduct or fund abortions, abortion lobbying, or coercive family planning in foreign countries.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
Border Wall Waste Accountability Act This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the total cost of unused construction materials that were obtained for construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall from January 20, 2021, through January 20, 2025.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
Panama Canal Repurchase Act of 2025 This bill authorizes the President to negotiate with the appropriate Panamanian government officials to reacquire the Panama Canal. The President must submit a report to Congress within 180 days of enactment detailing the progress of such negotiations, potential challenges, and anticipated outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act of 2025 This bill requires entities receiving federal funds to certify that they will not, subject to certain exceptions, perform abortions or provide funding to other entities that perform abortions. The bill provides exceptions for abortions performed in cases of rape or incest or when necessary to resolve a physical condition that endangers a woman's life.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
Border Safety and Security Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend the entry of any non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) without valid entry documents during any period when DHS cannot detain such an individual or return the individual to a foreign country contiguous to the United States. A state may sue DHS to enforce this requirement. (Under current law, non-U.S. nationals who arrive at the border without entry documents are generally subject to expedited removal. However, if such an individual is found to have a credible fear of persecution, they are typically subject to detention while their asylum claim is being considered.) The bill also authorizes DHS to suspend the entry of non-U.S. nationals without entry documents at the border if DHS determines that such a suspension is necessary to achieve operational control over such a border.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
Return Excessive Migrants and Asylees to International Neighbors in Mexico Act of 2025 or the REMAIN in Mexico Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement the Migrant Protection Protocols as outlined in the January 25, 2019, memo titled Policy Guidance for Implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols . (The protocols generally required aliens who are not clearly admissible, including those seeking asylum, arriving by land along the U.S.-Mexico border to be returned to Mexico while their immigration proceedings are pending, rather than remain in the United States. On January 21, 2021, DHS stopped applying the protocols to newly-arrived individuals.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
No Funding for Illegal Migrant Billboards Act This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from obligating or expending funds to advertise the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman or its functions to the general public. The office’s functions include investigating violations of the rights of individuals in immigration detention, inspecting immigration detention facilities, and providing assistance to individuals affected by the potential misconduct of DHS officers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2025 This bill restricts federal funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. or any of its affiliates or clinics for one year. Specifically, it prohibits providing federal funding to those entities unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide funds to entities that perform, abortions during that year. If the certification requirement is not met, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must recoup any federal assistance received by those entities. However, the bill's funding restriction does not apply to abortions performed in cases of rape or incest or when necessary to resolve a physical condition that endangers a woman's life. The bill also provides additional funding for community health centers for the one-year period. These funds are subject to the same abortion-related restrictions and exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
Securing Timely Opportunities for Payment and Maximizing Awards for Detaining Unlawful Regime Officials Act of 2025 or the STOP MADURO Act This bill authorizes the Department of State to pay a reward of up to $100 million for certain information directly leading to the arrest and conviction of Nicolas Maduro Moros. For example, under the bill, the State Department may pay such a reward to one or more individuals who furnish information directly leading to Maduro's arrest and conviction in any country for specified narcotics-related offenses. The bill also requires that any such payment come solely from the liquidation of assets that the U.S. President or the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has withheld pursuant to specified laws and executive orders from Maduro, officials of the Maduro regime, and their co-conspirators.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
American Science First Act This bill prohibits the National Science Foundation (NSF) from providing grants or other forms of assistance to certain foreign individuals and entities. Specifically, the NSF may not support any individual or entity that is affiliated or otherwise has a relationship, including but not limited to a research partnership, joint venture, or contract, with an entity included on the entity list under the Export Administration Regulations, which identifies foreign entities subject to license requirements for the export, reexport, or transfer of certain items; a Chinese military company operating in the United States or any of its territories or possessions on the list required under the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, or required under the Mac Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, or any successor list; or any parent, subsidiary, affiliate of, or entity owned by or controlled by any such entity.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2025
Federal Employee Return to Work Act This bill prohibits providing certain annual or locality-based pay increases to teleworking federal employees. Currently, federal law mandates annual adjustments to General Schedule (GS) pay rates according to (1) a formula based on the annual percentage change in the Employment Cost Index (a measure of labor costs in the private sector); and (2) the difference between public and private sector pay rates in an employee's locality, if that difference exceeds 5%. For example, in 2025, the default annual rate of pay for a GS-7 (step 1) employee is $49,960; the adjusted annual rate of pay for a GS-7 (step 1) employee in the locality pay area that includes Washington, DC, is $57,164. The bill makes executive agency employees who telework at least one day each week (or, in the case of an alternative work schedule, 20% or more each week) ineligible for these payments. The bill is effective on the first day of the fiscal year beginning after the bill's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2025
This resolution rescinds subpoenas and recommendations issued by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Specifically, the resolution rescinds subpoenas issued on September 23, 2021, October 6, 2021, and February 9, 2022, to Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows, Peter Navarro, and Dan Scavino. The resolution also withdraws, dismisses, and concludes resolutions that the House find Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows, Peter Navarro, and Dan Scavino in contempt of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Land And Social Security Optimization Act or the LASSO Act This bill requires 10% of revenue generated by public lands, including submerged lands on the Outer Continental Shelf, under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to be deposited into the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, which is used to pay Social Security benefits to retirees and their families and to survivors of deceased workers.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act This bill imposes immigration-related penalties on certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who are involved with terrorism or attacks against Israel. Under this bill, members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad or Hamas or individuals who participated in or otherwise facilitated the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel may not be admitted into the United States. The bill also expands an existing admissions bar against officers, representatives, and spokespersons of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Under this bill, all PLO members are barred from admission into the United States. The bill also prohibits any non-U.S. national who participated in or otherwise facilitated the October 7, 2023, attacks from seeking any immigration-related relief or protections, including (1) protection from being deported to a country where the individual's life or freedom would be threatened, or (2) asylum in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security must annually report to Congress the number of individuals found to be inadmissible or deportable due to their participation in or facilitation of the attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act This bill establishes a federal statutory framework to regulate the carry or possession of concealed firearms across state lines. Specifically, an individual who is eligible to carry a concealed firearm in one state may carry or possess a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. It sets forth requirements for lawful concealed carry across state lines. The bill preempts most state and local laws related to concealed carry and establishes a private right of action for a person adversely affected by interference with a concealed-carry right established by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2025 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete, within 12 months, an audit of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks. In addition, the bill allows the GAO to audit the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks with respect to (1) international financial transactions; (2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters; (3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; and (4) discussions or communications among Federal Reserve officers, board members, and employees regarding any of these matters.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Consequences for Social Security Fraud Act This bill adds additional criminal offences to the grounds upon which a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) may be barred from admission into the United States or deported. Specifically, an individual who has been convicted of, or admits to committing, Social Security fraud, identification document fraud, or fraud related to COVID-19 financial assistance programs is inadmissible or deportable under the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must provide in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. Specifically, a health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as would reasonably be provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. Additionally, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with the degree-of-care requirements must immediately report such failure to law enforcement. A health care practitioner who fails to provide the required degree of care, or a health care practitioner or other employee who fails to report such failure, is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. An individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive under this bill and allows her to bring a civil action against a health care practitioner or other employee for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
FairTax Act of 2025 This bill replaces federal income, payroll, estate, and gift taxes with a federal sales tax beginning in 2027 and eliminates the Internal Revenue Service. The bill establishes a 23% tax-inclusive (30% tax-exclusive) federal sales tax rate on taxable property and services to be administered primarily by each state. The federal sales tax rate is adjusted annually beginning in 2028 so that it is the sum of the general revenue rate (14.91%); old-age, survivors and disability insurance rate; and hospital insurance rate. The bill includes exemptions for property or services purchased for business, investment, and certain state government functions. Registered, qualified families may receive a monthly sales tax rebate in the amount of the monthly federal poverty level (or twice such amount for married individuals) multiplied by the federal sales tax rate. Each family member must have a Social Security number and be a lawful resident of the United States. Federal sales tax revenues are allocated to general revenue, the Social Security trust funds, and the Medicare trust funds. (Special allocation rules apply for 2027.) The bill eliminates appropriations for the Internal Revenue Service after FY2029 and establishes an Excise Tax Bureau and a Sales Tax Bureau within the Department of the Treasury. Finally, the bill terminates the federal sales tax if the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution (authorizing a federal income tax) is not repealed within seven years from the date the bill is enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Firearm Industry Non-Discrimination Act or the FIND Act This bill prohibits the federal government from entering into contracts with an entity that discriminates against firearm trade associations or businesses that deal in firearms, ammunition, or related products. Specifically, the bill requires a federal agency to include in each contract for the procurement of goods or services awarded by the agency a clause requiring the prime contractor to certify that it (1) has no policy, practice, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association; and (2) will not adopt a policy, practice, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association during the term of the contract. The bill establishes (1) a similar requirement with respect to subcontracts, and (2) penalties for violations. The bill makes such prohibition inapplicable to a contract for the procurement of goods or services that is a sole-source contract.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act This bill establishes certain criminal grounds for making non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) inadmissible and expands the crimes for which a non-U.S. national is deportable. First, the bill establishes that a non-U.S. national is inadmissible if the individual has admitted to or is convicted of acts constituting the essential elements of stalking, child abuse, child neglect, child abandonment, a sex offense, conspiracy to commit a sex offense, a violation of certain protection orders, or domestic violence (including physical or sexual abuse or a pattern of coercive behavior when it occurs within certain close relationships). Next, the bill establishes additional grounds for deportation. Under current law, a non-U.S. national is deportable for certain criminal convictions, including domestic violence, stalking, and child abuse. The bill makes any sex offense (including crimes against minors) or conspiracy to commit a sex offense a basis for deportation. The bill also expands the domestic violence crimes that make a non-U.S. national deportable to include physical or sexual abuse or a pattern of coercive behavior when it occurs within certain close relationships.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Deport Alien Gang Members Act This bill makes non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) associated with criminal gangs inadmissible for entry into the United States and deportable. The bill also establishes procedures to designate groups as criminal gangs. An individual shall be inadmissible if certain officers or agencies know or have reason to believe that the individual is or was a criminal gang member or has participated or aided such a group's illegal activities. An individual who is or was a member of such a gang, has participated or aided such a group's illegal activities, or seeks to enter or has entered the United States in furtherance of such activity shall be deportable. Such individuals must be subject to mandatory detention. Furthermore, such individuals shall not be eligible for (1) asylum; (2) temporary protected status; (3) special immigrant juvenile visas; or (4) parole, unless they are assisting the government in a law enforcement matter. The bill defines a criminal gang as a group of five or more persons (1) where one of its primary purposes is committing specified criminal offenses and its members have engaged in a continuing series of such offenses within the past five years, or (2) that has been designated as a criminal gang by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The bill also establishes procedures for DHS to designate a group as a criminal gang, including notifying Congress, publishing a notice in the Federal Register, and providing an opportunity for the group to petition for review of the designation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship. Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship. Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources. Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters. The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2024
End the Vaccine Carveout Act This bill removes liability protections for manufacturers and administrators for vaccine-related injuries, and removes limitations on bringing civil actions for vaccine-related injuries or seeking compensation, under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). It also excludes COVID-19 vaccines from liability protections under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP). Under current law, the VICP provides compensation for alleged injuries caused by certain routinely administered vaccines. Individuals generally may not file a civil action in court unless a VICP claim is filed and the resulting judgement is rejected. The VICP also limits the types of claims and amount of damages that may be sought (e.g., no liability for unavoidable side effects or failure to directly warn), and it imposes deadlines for filing claims. The bill removes the requirement to first file a claim under the VICP before pursuing a civil action, so individuals alleging vaccine-related injuries may choose to either bring a civil action or utilize the VICP. It also removes the restrictions on the types of civil actions and damages. The bill also removes the deadlines for filing claims under the VICP and applies this change retroactively. Additionally, under current law, the CICP provides compensation for alleged injuries caused by certain medical countermeasures during public health emergencies, including COVID-19 vaccines. The bill excludes COVID-19 vaccines from being considered as medical countermeasures. Therefore, under the bill, individuals may file civil actions against manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines rather than filing claims under the CICP.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2024
This resolution expresses that the House of Representatives (1) reaffirms and reiterates its commitment to ensuring secure elections throughout the United States, and (2) recognizes that the presentation of valid photograph identification is a fundamental component of secure elections throughout the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2024
Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act of 2024 This bill prohibits states or localities from imposing a levy or collecting an excise tax on the sale of a firearm, ammunition, or any part or component thereof, by a manufacture or retailer.