United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2023
Kidney Patient Access to Technologically Innovative and Essential Nephrology Treatments Act of 2023 or the Kidney PATIENT Act of 2023 This bill delays a change to the payment methodology under Medicare for oral drugs that are used to treat end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Under current regulations, beginning January 1, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will incorporate payments for oral-only ESRD drugs into the ESRD prospective payment system rather than issuing separate payments to ESRD facilities. The bill delays implementation of this policy until January 1, 2033, or until an approved intravenous drug is available, whichever is earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2023
Supporting Equity for Aquaculture and Seafood Act or the SEAS Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase support for aquaculture grants and assistance. (Aquaculture is the controlled breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, and sea vegetables.) Specifically, the bill directs USDA to give aquaculture producers the same consideration as animal agriculture producers in awarding grants or other assistance. Further, USDA must ensure adequate and fair funding levels for aquaculture producers under USDA programs. USDA must also provide its staff with specific education and trainings on aquaculture. USDA must submit to Congress (1) an annual report that includes information on USDA seafood and aquaculture purchases and grants, and (2) a report on USDA's role in supporting aquaculture and the seafood industry. USDA must make competitive grants (e.g., to regional aquaculture centers or nonprofit organizations) to develop next generation technology to reduce pollution and fuel usage in the seafood and aquaculture industries. Further, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative program grants must address methods of increasing the survival rate and adaptability of shellfish, including resistance to heat, disease, salinity, and acidification. In addition, the federal crop insurance program (FCIP) must research and develop a policy to insure aquaculture products and the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (the agency that finances FCIP operations) must establish a policy to insure aquaculture products.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education for Autumn Act of 2023 or the SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023 This bill authorizes grants and establishes other programs to improve data collection on stillbirths. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants for surveillance and data collection on stillbirths, and HHS must issue guidelines for health departments and vital statistics units concerning the collection of stillbirth data. HHS must also develop educational awareness materials about stillbirths and make them publicly available. Furthermore, HHS must implement a fellowship program to provide training in perinatal autopsy pathology and otherwise support research on stillbirths and fetal autopsies. The bill also requires HHS to issue a report with educational guidelines on stillbirths and stillbirth risk factors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement for Animals Act of 2023 or the Better CARE for Animals Act of 2023 This bill modifies enforcement provisions under the Animal Welfare Act, including by allowing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring civil actions against violators of the act for appropriate relief, such as removing animals, revoking violators' licenses, or issuing civil penalties. DOJ must use the penalties to pay for the temporary care for animals pending the disposition of civil or criminal proceedings that allege violations of the act with respect to such animals.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Tax Fairness for Workers Act This bill allows an above-the-line tax deduction for union dues and expenses. (An above-the-line deduction is subtracted from gross income and is available whether or not a taxpayer itemizes other deductions.) The bill also reinstates the miscellaneous itemized tax deduction for unreimbursed expenses attributable to the performance of services as an employee (Under current law, all miscellaneous itemized deductions are suspended through 2025).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Rebuild America's Schools Act of 2023 This bill provides support for long-term improvements to public elementary and secondary school facilities. First, the bill sets forth allocations to states and establishes a need-based grant program for local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve school facilities. Further, the bill specifies allowable uses of grant funds, including carrying out major repairs, improving indoor air quality, and making facilities accessible to disabled individuals. Additionally, the bill requires LEAs that receive funds for new construction, modernization, or renovation projects to comply with hazard-resistance building codes and performance criteria under the WaterSense program of the Environmental Protection Agency. Further, the bill requires such LEAs to adopt certain green practices (environmental standards) and requires the use of iron, steel, and manufactured products that are made in the United States (Buy America). The bill restores school infrastructure tax credit bonds. The bill also sets forth reporting requirements, including annual reports on grant program projects and a report by the Government Accountability Office that requires a study of the geographic distribution of projects, the impact of selected projects on student and staff health and safety, and the accessibility of projects to high-poverty schools. The bill also establishes the Office of School Infrastructure and Sustainability within the Department of Education. Next, the bill extends through FY2028 the Impact Aid Construction program. Finally, the bill establishes a grant program to assist LEAs with repairing or replacing concrete foundations affected by pyrrhotite (an iron sulfide material linked to crumbling foundations).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
This concurrent resolution opposes actions that undermine Israel's future as a Jewish, democratic state. The resolution expresses that democracy is at the core of the special relationship between the United States and Israel, and that Congress stands with all Israelis seeking to defend liberal democracy, judicial review, and independent political institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Chyna Gibson Stop the Transgender Murder Epidemic Act of 2023 or the Chyna Gibson STME Act of 2023 This bill establishes a commission to address various issues facing gender-nonconforming, gender-expansive, and transgender women of color. The commission must be comprised of 13 members who are qualified based on their education, training, activism, or experience, particularly in the field of transgender studies and human rights. The commission may hold hearings and must report its findings and recommendations to Congress no later than 18 months after its first meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Student Loan Interest Elimination Act This bill makes changes to federal student loans, including to interest rates. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish and implement procedures to (1) modify the terms of Federal Direct Loans so that beginning on July 1, 2024, no interest shall accrue on such a loan; and (2) allow a borrower to opt out of this loan modification. Additionally, ED must establish and implement procedures to (1) refinance eligible loans that are not Federal Direct Loans (e.g., privately held Federal Family Education Loans and Perkins Loans), and (2) allow a borrower to opt out of this loan refinancing. The bill outlines the terms and conditions of these refinanced loans, including by prohibiting ED from charging origination fees and specifying that no interest shall accrue on these loans. Next, the bill creates a tiered interest rate (based on the borrower's total adjusted available income) for federal student loans made on or after July 1, 2024. The bill caps this interest rate at 4%. The bill establishes the Education Affordability Trust Fund. ED must deposit all payments made on federal student loans into this trust fund. The Trust Fund Board, as established by this bill, must transfer the profits from investments of this trust fund to ED to pay for the administrative costs of carrying out federal student loan programs. The bill allows ED to use excess amounts of funds in the trust fund to carry out a Supplemental Pell Grant Program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act This bill expands the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program to include additional drugs and drugs that are covered under private insurance. It also extends certain rebate requirements for covered drugs under Medicare to drugs that are covered under private insurance. Current law requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate maximum prices for brand-name drugs that do not have other generic equivalents and that account for the greatest Medicare spending; the CMS must eventually negotiate the prices of 20 drugs that are covered under Medicare in 2029 and each year thereafter. The bill requires the CMS to negotiate the prices of 50 drugs beginning in 2029. It also applies the negotiated maximum prices under the program to drugs that are covered under private health insurance, unless the insurer opts out. The CMS, Department of Labor, and Department of Treasury must publish a list of insurers that choose to opt out; insurers must also publicly disclose their decision to opt out. Current law also requires drug manufacturers to issue rebates to the CMS for brand-name drugs without generic equivalents under Medicare that cost $100 or more per year per individual and for which prices increase faster than inflation. The bill extends these requirements to drugs that are covered under private insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Enabling Farmers to Benefit from Processing Nutrition Programs Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a streamlined process for farmers and ranchers to provide benefits under certain federal nutrition programs (i.e., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program). Specifically, USDA must establish a streamlined application process for farmers and ranchers to apply to be vendors under the nutrition programs, including by developing a single application for the programs or an information sharing system. USDA must also develop a streamlined process for these vendors to use standardized technology to process program benefits (such as a single piece of equipment or a mobile application). Further, USDA must ensure that the program benefit processing equipment and systems made available by a state agency are appropriate for the entity. For example, this includes ensuring wireless or mobile processing equipment and technology systems are appropriate for farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer markets.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes through FY2032 and expands the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. Through this program, the Health Resources and Services Administration provides loan repayment assistance to individuals who agree to work for a period of time in the field of substance use disorder treatment. In particular, the bill expands eligibility to include individuals who agree to work in mental health professional shortage areas for a period of time. The bill also allows the use of the loan repayment assistance to repay any loan incurred to obtain a post-graduate degree in a mental health or related field. (Current law limits the loans eligible for repayment to loans for education and training for substance use disorder treatment employment and specified nursing and federal education loans.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Nonrestrictive Offshore Wind Act or the NOW Act This bill repeals certain requirements that the Department of the Interior must meet before issuing a lease for offshore wind development. Under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Interior may not issue a lease unless (1) an offshore oil and gas lease sale has been held in the year prior to issuing the lease, and (2) Interior offers a specified minimum acreage for offshore lease sales in the previous year. The bill repeals those requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Comprehensive Legislation for Expanding and Advancing Nonrestrictive Energy Act or the CLEAN Energy Act This bill repeals certain requirements that the Department of the Interior must meet before issuing an onshore wind or solar right-of-way for wind or solar energy development on federal land. Under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Interior may not issue a right-of-way for such development unless (1) an onshore oil and gas lease sale has been held in the 120 days prior to issuing the right-of-way, and (2) Interior offers a specified minimum acreage for oil and gas lease sales in the previous year. The bill repeals those requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act This bill modifies the Conrad 30 Waiver program, which incentivizes qualified foreign physicians to serve in underserved communities. It also extends statutory authority for the program for three years from this bill's enactment. Aliens coming to the United States under a J-1 nonimmigrant visa to receive medical training typically must leave the country and reside for two years abroad before being eligible to apply for an immigrant visa or permanent residence. The Conrad program waives this requirement for individuals who meet certain qualifications, including serving for a number of years at a health care facility in an underserved area. The bill increases the number of waivers that a state may obtain each fiscal year from 30 to 35 if a certain number of waivers were used the previous year, and provides for further adjustments depending on demand. An alien physician may be employed at an academic medical center to meet the Conrad program's employment requirements if the alien's work is in the public interest, even if the medical center is not in an underserved area. Employment contracts for alien physicians under the Conrad program shall contain certain information, such as the maximum number of on-call hours per week the physician shall have to work. Certain alien physicians (along with the physician's spouse and children) shall be exempt from the direct annual numerical limits on immigration, including those physicians that have met certain requirements related to visas for physicians to serve in underserved areas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2023
9-8-8 Implementation Act of 2023 This bill modifies programs and activities that support access to behavioral health services, with a focus on crisis services and the 9-8-8 telecommunication system that provides callers with mental health or suicide crisis support and resources. For example, the bill establishes a national suicide prevention media campaign and grant programs to support crisis call centers and the behavioral health workforce. It also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to convene a panel to develop recommendations for 9-1-1 dispatchers on how respond to callers experiencing behavioral health crises, including with respect to utilizing the 9-8-8 system. The bill also expands coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), private insurance, and insurance programs for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and federal employees to include crisis response services.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2023
This bill directs the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish a grant program within its Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program for eligible institutions to develop and carry out agriculture workforce training programs. Eligible institutions include U.S. land-grant universities, non-land-grant colleges of agriculture, junior or community colleges with agriculture programs, and area career and technical education schools with agriculture programs. The grants must be used to develop and carry out programs to (1) promote the growth of the agriculture industry, (2) foster competitiveness within the industry, and (3) improve the training and retention of workers in the industry. An agriculture workforce training program is a program developed by an eligible institution in collaboration with a targeted industry partner through which the industry partner provides training to enrolled students. This may include training through internships, apprenticeships, experience-based curricula, and educational programs and workshops. The program must be implemented by January 31, 2024.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2023
Scientific Integrity Act This bill revises provisions regarding the release of scientific research results by federal agencies. Each agency that funds, conducts, or oversees scientific research must (1) adopt and enforce a scientific integrity policy that includes certain requirements, such as restricting scientific conclusions from being based on political considerations; and (2) submit such policy to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) for approval. Agencies must make their policies public, submit them to Congress, and periodically update them with OSTP's approval. The Government Accountability Office shall review implementation of the policies. Each agency shall (1) appoint a Scientific Integrity Officer, (2) establish a process for dispute resolution consistent with the scientific integrity policy, and (3) establish a specified training program for current and new employees.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2023
Food Supply Chain Capacity and Resiliency Act This bill allows the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program. The program may guarantee loans to support new investments in the start-up or expansion of projects in the United States that will increase U.S. food supply chain capacity to aggregate, process, manufacture, store, transport, wholesale, or distribute food. In awarding loan guarantees under this bill, USDA must give preference to loans for projects that create jobs in economically distressed communities or to help create a more resilient, diverse, and secure U.S. food supply chain. USDA must prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this program. The bill specifies that USDA must use the amounts made available to carry out this bill to supplement, and not supplant, funds provided under other federal, state, or local law.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2023
Wall Street Tax Act of 2023 This bill imposes a 0.1% excise tax on certain financial transactions such as the purchase of stocks, bonds, and derivatives. The tax applies to the purchase of a security if (1) such purchase occurs on, or is subject to the rules of, a qualified board or exchange located in the United States; or (2) the purchaser or seller is a U.S. person. A security includes a share of stock in a corporation; a partnership or beneficial ownership interest in a partnership or trust; a note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness; and derivatives that meet specified criteria. The tax applies to transactions with respect to a derivative if (1) the derivative is traded on, or is subject to the rules of, a qualified board or exchange located in the United States; or (2) any party with rights under the derivative is a U.S. person. The bill exempts from such tax (1) initial issues of securities; and (2) any note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness that is traded on or is subject to the rules of, a qualified board or exchange located in the United States, and has a fixed maturity of not more than 100 days. The tax applies to transactions by a controlled foreign corporation and must be paid by its U.S. shareholders.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2023
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2023 This bill expands certain health professional programs and Medicare covered services to include physical therapists. Specifically, the bill expands the National Health Service Corps to include physical therapists and provides for the designation of specific health professional target areas for physical therapists under the program. The bill also expands covered services of rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers under Medicare to include physical therapy services.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2023
Specialty Crop Security Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes and provides additional funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). The bill also modifies the SCBGP outreach and state plan requirements. Under the block grant program, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides grants to the state departments of agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops (i.e., fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture). Specifically, the bill reauthorizes the SCBGP through FY2028. The bill also requires that SCBGP grants be made based on priorities jointly identified by specialty crop producers, producer groups, and state program administrators to achieve the program's purpose. Further, the bill requires that the plan a state must submit to USDA under the program indicate how outreach to, and consultation with, specialty crop stakeholders will be achieved.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2023
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023 This bill expands Medicare coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity. Specifically, the bill allows coverage for therapy that is provided by (1) a physician who is not a primary care physician; or (2) other health care providers (e.g., physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and approved counseling programs, if provided upon a referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner. Currently, such therapy is covered only if provided by a primary care practitioner. The bill also allows coverage under Medicare's prescription drug benefit of drugs used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for individuals who are overweight.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2023
Concentrating on High-value Alzheimer's Needs to Get to an End Act of 2023 or the CHANGE Act of 2023 This bill specifies that Medicare annual wellness visits and initial preventive physical examinations must include the use of an approved tool from the National Institute of Aging to detect cognitive impairment, as well as associated documentation of the tool that was used and the results.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2023
Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act This bill requires state Medicaid programs to establish a process through which qualifying out-of-state providers may enroll as participating providers for five years without undergoing additional screening requirements, unless the state has an agreement with other states that governs coverage of children with medically complex conditions that is in accordance with specified guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Among other requirements, a qualifying provider must (1) serve individuals under the age of 21; (2) have previously been screened for Medicare participation or for participation in the Medicaid program of the state in which the provider is located; and (3) have been determined by the CMS or state Medicaid program to pose a limited risk of fraud, waste, or abuse.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2023
Freedom to Vote Act This bill addresses voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls. Next, the bill establishes Election Day as a federal holiday. The bill declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence. The bill establishes certain federal criminal offenses related to voting. In particular, the bill establishes a new criminal offense for conduct (or attempted conduct) to corruptly hinder, interfere with, or prevent another person from registering to vote or helping someone register to vote. Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including by requiring states to conduct post-election audits for federal elections. The bill outlines criteria for congressional redistricting and generally prohibits mid-decade redistricting. The bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2023
Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs Reauthorization Act or the SIREN Reauthorization Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and otherwise modifies a grant program for improving emergency medical services (EMS) in rural areas. The modifications include requiring the use of grant funds to train EMS personnel on caring for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders in emergency situations and permitting the use of grant funds to acquire overdose reversal drugs and devices.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2023
This joint resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified by more than three-fourths of the states and is therefore a valid constitutional amendment, effective January 27, 2020 (the date of Virginia's ratification). The Equal Rights Amendment was originally proposed to the states in 1972. The original proposal included a deadline for ratification of March 22, 1979; Congress subsequently extended the deadline to June 30, 1982. Although the requisite 38 states have ratified the amendment, three of these states did so after the deadlines, and five states subsequently rescinded their ratifications. The status of the amendment has been the subject of litigation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2023
This concurrent resolution calls for U.S. leadership in addressing the climate crisis that is disproportionately affecting the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children. It also recognizes the need for a climate recovery plan that puts the United States on a trajectory consistent with reducing global atmospheric carbon dioxide to below 350 parts per million by the year 2100.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2023
Don Young American Grown Act This bill prohibits the official display of a cut flower or green in any public area of a building of the Executive Office of the President, the Department of State, or the Department of Defense unless it is produced in the United States. The prohibition does not apply to any cut flower or green used by a federal officer or employee for personal display.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2023
Social Security 2100 Act This bill modifies the Social Security system, particularly with respect to benefit calculations, fund administration, and beneficiary resources. For example, the bill temporarily increases the primary insurance amount for Social Security benefits for all individuals (from 90% of a certain portion of average indexed monthly earnings to 93%). It also modifies benefit calculations for certain individuals, including by temporarily (1) increasing benefits for widows or widowers in two-income households; and (2) allowing children of a deceased, disabled, or retired worker to remain eligible for benefits through age 25 if they are full-time students. Additionally, the bill temporarily eliminates (1) the government pension offset , which reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own; and (2) the windfall elimination provision , which reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. The bill also modifies the financing and administration of the Social Security trust funds. For example, the bill (1) subjects income over $400,000 to Social Security payroll taxes, and (2) combines the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund into a single Social Security Trust Fund. Finally, the bill establishes requirements relating to Social Security services and resources, including by prohibiting the closure of field offices unless certain conditions are met (e.g., public hearings).
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2023
Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an interagency review of the status of women and lung cancer. The review must report on the status of existing research and current knowledge gaps; identify new opportunities for collaborative research to determine the causes of lung cancer and advance prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment; and provide recommendations for a national cancer screening strategy and public education campaign.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000597_200.jpg)