United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Community College Agriculture Advancement Act of 2023 This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make competitive grants to assist eligible entities in maintaining and expanding their capacity to conduct workforce training, education, research, and outreach activities related to agriculture and similar disciplines. An eligible entity includes a junior or community college, or a consortium or alliance of two-year public colleges, supporting agriculture advancement. In awarding grants, USDA must give priority to entities coordinating with a local agriculture industry operator to provide experiential training and other opportunities for students. Grant funds may be used to expand and maintain the capacity of the eligible entity, including through the purchase or other acquisition of equipment and other infrastructure, the professional growth and development of faculty, and the development of apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities. An eligible entity may submit to USDA an application for designation and funding as a Center of Excellence for Agriculture Advancement. Funding received as a result of such a designation must be used to demonstrate agriculture best practices and to provide leadership in capacity building at a regional or national level.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Forest Conservation Easement Program Act of 2023 This bill replaces the Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) with a new forest conservation easement program. Both the HFRP and the new program provide for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase easements on private land for forest conservation purposes. Under the new program, USDA must provide cost-share assistance to states, local governments, Indian tribes, or certain organizations for their purchase of forest conservation easements. The bill also sets aside program funding to purchase easements from certain classes of landowner, including beginning forest landowners, socially disadvantaged forest landowners, and veteran forest landowners.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
This resolution expresses support for the designation of DIPG Awareness Day. DIPG is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a terminal childhood brain cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a rule that requires all new motor vehicles to have devices that can access AM broadcast stations installed as standard equipment. (AM broadcast stations are often used to deliver emergency alerts and news and entertainment programming; some newer vehicles do not include AM equipment.) Specifically, this bill applies to motor vehicles manufactured in the United States, imported into the United States, or shipped in interstate commerce after the rule's effective date. The DOT rule must require all such vehicles to have devices that can receive signals and play content transmitted by AM broadcast stations or digital audio AM broadcast stations installed as standard equipment. Prior to the effective date of the rule, manufacturers that do not include devices that can access AM broadcast stations as standard equipment must inform purchasers of this fact through clear and conspicuous labeling. DOT may assess civil penalties against any manufacturer that fails to comply with the mandate. The Department of Justice may also bring a civil action to enjoin a violation. Further, the Government Accountability Office must study and report on whether a reliable alternative communication system exists for delivering emergency alerts and consider the (1) cost to drivers and passengers of receiving communications through an alternative system, and (2) cost and time required to develop and implement an alternative.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
This resolution supports the goals and ideals of an International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia. The resolution encourages (1) health care providers to offer culturally and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and agender (LGBTQIA+) community; (2) schools to support the creation of gender and sexuality alliances; (3) individuals to learn about national resources for those who identify as LGBTQIA+; and (4) funding organizations, aid efforts, and governments to prioritize the health and human rights of LGBTQIA+ people.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
This concurrent resolution affirms, more than 400 years after the arrival of the first slave ship, that the United States owes a debt of remembrance to those who lived through slavery or other historical injustices against people of color, as well as to their descendants. It also urges the establishment of a U.S. Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
This resolution condemns the great replacement theory, which it describes as a white supremacist conspiracy theory that has been used to falsely justify racially motivated, violent acts of terrorism domestically and internationally.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2023
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 a pediatric disease research initiative within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and requires the NIH to coordinate pediatric research activities to avoid duplicative efforts. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must report to Congress about research funded through the initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2023
Reimburse Veterans for Domiciliary Care Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prescribe a rule related to the waiver of certain requirements for the payment of per diem for domiciliary care in a state home. (A state home is a home established by a state for veterans who are disabled by age, disease, or otherwise and are incapable of earning a living because of such disability. The term also includes a home that furnishes nursing home care for veterans.) Under the bill, the VA must prescribe a rule that authorizes the waiver of certain requirements for a veteran to be eligible for per diem payments for domiciliary care at a state home if the veteran has met at least four of the current requirements or the waiver would be in the best interest of the veteran. In prescribing the rule, the VA must ensure its authority to provide payments to state homes is retroactive to January 5, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2023
Healthcare Extension and Accessibility for Developmentally disabled and Underserved Population Act of 2023 or the HEADs UP Act of 2023 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to support health centers that provide services for individuals with developmental disabilities, including dental care. Grant recipients must provide specialized treatment to individuals with developmental disabilities as necessary. The bill also provides statutory authority for HHS to designate individuals with developmental disabilities as health-professional shortage population groups for the purposes of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). The NHSC provides scholarships and student loan repayment awards to eligible providers who agree to work with designated populations or in areas that face shortages of primary care, dental care, and mental health care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2023
Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of Fentanyl Overdoses Act of 2023 or the STOP Fentanyl Overdoses Act of 2023 This bill addresses data collection, treatment, harm reduction, and other issues related to substance misuse and addiction. It particularly focuses on opioids, fentanyl, and related substances. Specifically, the bill expands surveillance of fentanyl and related substances. This includes requiring a study on how to track overdoses by type of drug (including fentanyl) and awarding grants to states for collecting data about fentanyl-involved overdoses. The bill also provides for (1) training on detecting and handling fentanyl for law enforcement, and (2) grants for forensic laboratories to facilitate surveillance of controlled substances seized by law enforcement. Additionally, the bill establishes and modifies requirements to increase access to treatment and prevention services. For example, the Bureau of Prisons must make certain services, including medication-assisted treatments, available to individuals in its custody. The bill also establishes grants and requires other efforts to expand access to medications that temporarily reverse opioid overdoses (e.g., naloxone) and related harm reduction activities. Furthermore, the bill extends, subject to some conditions, liability protections for those who administer aid in an emergency (commonly known as Good Samaritan laws) to individuals who administer opioid overdose reversal drugs and to individuals who seek medical attention for themselves or on behalf of another for a drug overdose. The bill also requires multiple reports, including a report by the Department of State on foreign sources of certain drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Historic Preservation Fund Reauthorization Act This bill extends through FY2033 and increases funding for the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund. The funding is provided from revenues from Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leases, and awards from the fund are made to states and other entities, including tribes and nonprofits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act This bill directs multi-agency efforts to improve maternal health with a particular focus on racial and ethnic minority groups, veterans, and other vulnerable populations. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must address the social determinants of maternal health (i.e., child care, housing, and other nonmedical factors that affect health outcomes). HHS and other departments must also carry out other actions to increase access to maternal health care and otherwise improve maternal health, such as growing and diversifying the maternal health workforce; establishing various grants and other programs, including ones related to maternal health disparities and maternal behavioral health; testing alternative payment models for perinatal care in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP); addressing maternal health during public health emergencies; and supporting training, technology, and telehealth initiatives. The bill further provides for extended postpartum and breastfeeding eligibility for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; increased research and data collection on maternal health indicators; activities to mitigate adverse maternal health outcomes associated with climate change; and expanded public education to improve maternal vaccination rates. The bill also addresses maternal health for incarcerated populations. For example, it (1) requires the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice to establish programs to improve maternity care; and (2) reduces grants for criminal justice activities unless the recipient state or territory has a law to limit the use of restraints during pregnancy for incarcerated populations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and otherwise modifies research and education programs for preventing premature births. In particular, the bill expands the scope of education programs for health care providers and the public to address the importance of screening for and treatment of chronic conditions as part of preconception and prenatal care. Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an interagency working group to improve the coordination of programs and activities to prevent preterm birth, infant mortality, and related adverse effects. (Current law permits HHS to establish such a working group.) The bill also requires HHS to support a study carried out by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on matters related to premature births, such as the financial costs and factors that affect preterm birth rates.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Targeting Resources for Equitable Access to Treatment for Long COVID Act or the TREAT Long COVID Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to create or expand the capacity of clinics that treat patients with persistent, long-term symptoms following recovery from acute COVID-19 (i.e., Long COVID) and associated conditions. Eligible recipients include federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, urban Indian health centers, and state and local health departments.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Rural Education Investment Act This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to annually determine the percentage of K-12 students who are served by local educational agencies (LEAs) located in rural areas. ED must then reserve at least an equal percentage of Teacher Quality Partnership grants for partnerships with these LEAs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2023 This bill revises provisions of the low-income housing tax credit and renames it as the affordable housing tax credit . The bill increases the per capita dollar amount of the credit and its minimum ceiling amount beginning in 2023 and extends the inflation adjustment for such amounts. The bill modifies tenant income eligibility requirements and the average income formula for determining such income. It also revises rules for student occupancy of rental units and tenant voucher payments, and prohibits any refusal to rent to victims of domestic abuse. The bill further modifies the credit to increase state allocations of the credit; repeal the qualified census tract population cap; prohibit consideration of local approval and local government contribution requirements for housing projects; increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households; increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies; eliminate the basis reduction for properties that receive certain energy-related tax benefits; and increase the population cap for difficult development areas (i.e., areas with high construction, land, and utility costs relative to area median gross income). The bill also includes Indian and rural areas as difficult development areas and modifies other requirements relating to casualty losses, tax-exempt bond financing, and foreclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2023
Enhance Access To SNAP Act of 2023 or the EATS Act of 2023 This bill expands eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for certain students. Specifically, the bill removes the restriction on SNAP eligibility for students to allow otherwise eligible students who are attending institutions of higher education (IHEs) at least half time to participate in SNAP. Under current law, students 18-49 years old are restricted, with exceptions, from participating in SNAP. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 temporarily exempted some students from certain SNAP eligibility requirements; these temporary student exemptions are currently scheduled to expire after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023. Further, the bill provides that students enrolled at least half time in a recognized school, training program, or IHE constitute individual households (not residents of institutions ) and may be eligible for SNAP benefits. (Participation in SNAP is limited to households.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2023
Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act of 2023 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of acupuncturist services, including those provided by a physician (as authorized under state law).
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2023
Food Date Labeling Act of 2023 This bill establishes requirements for the format of quality date and discard date labels on food packaging. Specifically, the bill requires the quality date on a food label (i.e., the date after which the quality of the item may deteriorate) to include the phrase BEST If Used By or the abbreviation BB . Similarly, the discard date on a food label (i.e., the date after which the item should not be consumed) must include the phrase USE By or the abbreviation UB . Abbreviations may only be used if the full phrase does not fit on the label. The Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture may specify alternative phrases through regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2023
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2023 or the PAST Act of 2023 This bill addresses the practice of soring horses. The soring of horses includes various actions taken on horses' limbs to produce higher gaits that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. Specifically, the bill expands soring regulation and enforcement at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions, including by establishing a new system for inspecting horses for soring. In addition, the bill increases penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2023
Transit to Trails Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish the Transit to Trails Grant Program to award grants to certain entities (e.g., states, local governments, and metropolitan planning organizations) for projects that increase transportation access and mobility to public lands, waters, parkland, monuments, or recreational opportunities for critically underserved communities. A critically underserved community is (1) a community that can demonstrate it has inadequate, insufficient, or no park space or recreation facilities; (2) a community in which at least 50% of the population is not located within 1/2 mile of park space; or (3) an environmental justice community (i.e., a community with significant representation of communities of color, low-income communities, or at-risk tribal and Indigenous communities that experiences, or is at risk of experiencing, a disproportionate burden of adverse human health or environmental effects). Among other things, DOT must (1) prioritize the approval of certain projects, such as projects that use low-or no-emission vehicles and those that provide free or discounted rates for low-income riders; (2) develop transportation planning procedures for projects conducted under the program that are consistent with metropolitan and statewide planning processes; and (3) ensure that all new transportation connectors and routes developed under the program are accessible to people with disabilities. The bill requires grant awards to be at least $25,000 and not more than $500,000. Further, the bill requires publication of all schedules and routes for transportation systems that are developed with funds from a grant under the program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2023
No Hungry Kids in Schools Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an option for states to utilize a statewide Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for USDA school meal programs. (The CEP allows eligible schools, groups of schools, and school districts the option to offer free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.) Specifically, USDA must establish a statewide CEP option that may be used by a state agency. The state agency must provide state (nonfederal) funding to local educational agencies to reimburse applicable schools at the free reimbursement rate for 100% of the meals served. Eligibility for the statewide CEP must be based on a statewide calculation of the percentage of identified enrolled students, regardless of a school's local educational agency. Further, the bill lowers the CEP participation threshold for a statewide CEP to an identified student percentage (ISP) of zero, from 40%. The ISP is the percentage of students who are eligible for free school meals without a household application, primarily those who are directly certified through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In addition, the bill specifies that the reimbursement multiplier for school meals remains at the current level of 1.6. The reimbursement multiplier is used to calculate how many meals will be reimbursed at the free meal rate.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2023
Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act This bill limits U.S. assistance to Israel and establishes reporting requirements related to Israel's activities in the West Bank and its expenditures for offshore procurement. (Offshore procurement involves spending U.S. security assistance from the Foreign Military Financing program on Israeli-origin rather than U.S.-origin defense articles.) Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of any funds that are made available for assistance to Israel to support (1) military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill treatment of Palestinian children; (2) seizure, appropriation, or destruction of Palestinian property and forcible transfer of civilians in the Israeli-controlled West Bank; or (3) certain activities to facilitate unilateral annexation by Israel of West Bank territory. The Department of State must report on the nature and extent of such activities carried out by Israel. Further, the Government Accountability Office must submit to Congress a report on related topics, such as (1) identifying specific programs and items to which funds for offshore procurement in Israel have been allocated, (2) identifying all end-use monitoring to which Israel is subject with respect to U.S.-origin defense articles, and (3) assessing the extent to which offshore procurement funds have supported illegal Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2023
Affordable Pricing for Taxpayer-Funded Prescription Drugs Act of 202 3 This bill requires companies that receive federal funding for research (or a license of the rights to a patent or regulatory test data) for a biomedical product or service to agree to set reasonable prices for the resulting biomedical product or service. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must determine a reasonable price based on a formula that ensures the U.S. price for the product or service is not more than the median price for the product or service in Canada and six other reference countries with, based on specified criteria, large economies and high incomes. Companies entering these agreements also must report to HHS certain financial information related to the biomedical product or service involved.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2023
Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2023 This bill revises the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires benefits to be calculated using the value of a low-cost food plan. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan, which is the diet required to feed a family of four, consisting of a man and a woman ages 19-50 years, a child ages 6-8 years, and a child ages 9-11 years. USDA must (1) reevaluate and publish the market baskets of the plan by December 31, 2029, and every five years thereafter, based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance; and (2) make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas. The bill modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by (1) authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member, and (2) eliminating the cap on the excess shelter expense deduction. The bill eliminates certain work requirements for SNAP; the requirements apply to able-bodied adults who are ages 18-49 and have no dependent children. The bill allows Puerto Rico to participate in SNAP. Currently, Puerto Rico receives a block grant instead of participating in SNAP. The bill also provides funding for Puerto Rico to receive a one-time USDA grant for the technology infrastructure necessary to implement SNAP.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2023
Increased TSP Access Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to modify the certification process for Technical Service Providers (TSPs) at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) by establishing an approval process for nonfederal certifying entities and a streamlined certification process for TSPs that hold certain specialty certifications. (TSPs are third-party service providers, such as private businesses, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations, who work on behalf of customers to offer planning, design, and implementation services that meet NRCS criteria.) The bill specifies that USDA must ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, third-party providers with expertise in the technical aspects of conservation practice design, implementation, and evaluation are eligible to become approved TSPs. USDA must provide a streamlined certification process for TSPs who hold appropriate specialty certifications (e.g., certified crop advisors). In determining the eligibility of a nonfederal certifying entity, USDA must consider the ability, experience, expertise, and history of the entity. USDA must decide whether to approve an application submitted by a nonfederal certifying entity to certify TSPs not later than 40 business days after receiving an application. USDA must review a TSP's certification by a nonfederal certifying entity not later than 10 business days after receiving a notification from the nonfederal entity. If the certification is satisfactory, USDA must include the TSP on a USDA-maintained registry of certified TSPs. The bill also specifies that TSPs must be paid at rates equivalent to technical assistance provided by USDA. Further, USDA must provide accessible public information on TSPs, including information on funding, contributions, certification results, and utilization rates.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2023
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that climate change caused by human activities constitutes a climate emergency, which demands the President use existing authorities and emergency powers to mitigate and prepare for the consequences of the emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2023
Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2023 This bill authorizes and establishes procedures for federal courts to issue federal extreme risk protection orders. Additionally, the bill establishes grants to support the implementation of extreme risk protection order laws at the state and local levels, extends federal firearms restrictions to individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders, and expands related data collection. Extreme risk protection order laws, or red flag laws, generally allow certain individuals (e.g., law enforcement officers or family members) to petition a court for a temporary order that prohibits an at-risk individual from purchasing and possessing firearms. Among its provisions, the bill authorizes a family or household member, or a law enforcement officer, to petition for a federal extreme risk protection order with respect to an individual who poses a risk to themselves or others; directs the Department of Justice to establish a grant program to help states, local governments, Indian tribes, and other entities implement extreme risk protection order laws; extends federal restrictions on the receipt, possession, shipment, and transportation of firearms and ammunition to individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders; and requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to compile records from federal, tribal, and state courts and other agencies that identify individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2023
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act This bill designates specified lands in Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Specifically, such lands are (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs-Greater Dinosaur. Additionally, the bill sets forth administrative requirements for (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with adjacent wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2023
EDUCATORS for America Act This bill provides resources to support the recruitment, retention, and preparation of educators. Specifically, the bill expands the Teacher Quality Partnership program to include training and professional development opportunities for principals and other school leaders. Additionally, the bill updates the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence program to support underrepresented candidates in educator preparation programs. The bill establishes an education careers opportunity program to provide individuals from underrepresented backgrounds with education and training to become educators. Further, the bill revises the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program to raise the maximum amount for TEACH grants. The bill also expands loan forgiveness for educators by revising the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, including by renaming the program as the Educator Loan Forgiveness Programs, making additional loan types eligible for benefits under the program (e.g., parent PLUS loans), and expanding program eligibility to early childhood educators and program directors serving in early childhood education programs and school leaders serving in public high-need schools. Next, the bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to (1) make monthly student loan payments on behalf of the educator during qualifying service (i.e., employment as a full-time qualifying educator in a high-need school or an early childhood education program), and (2) provide complete loan forgiveness after five years of qualifying service. ED must also carry out a program to provide loan credits to eligible educator borrowers enrolled in income-contingent or income-based repayment plans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2023
Protecting America's Workers Act This bill expands the coverage of requirements governing workplace safety and health to include protection for federal, state, and local government employees. However, the bill does not cover working conditions otherwise covered by federal requirements for mine safety and health. The bill revises requirements governing worker protection, including by expanding protections for whistle-blowers, such as protections for employees who refuse to perform work because they reasonably believe the work would result in serious injury or illness and for employees who aid inspections; directing employers to furnish a hazard-free place of employment to all individuals performing work, not just employees; directing employers to report work-related deaths or certain injuries, illnesses, or hospitalizations; requiring the Department of Labor to investigate fatalities or significant incidents in the workplace; establishing rights for victims, or representatives of victims, with respect to inspections or investigations of work-related bodily injuries or deaths; setting the permitted period for employers to correct serious, willful, or repeated violations while citations for the violations are being contested; increasing civil and criminal penalties for certain violations; expanding enforcement requirements relating to state occupational safety and health plans; expanding requirements for workplace health hazard evaluations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; and requiring Labor to provide training programs concerning employee rights and employer responsibilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2023
Autism Family Caregivers Act of 2023 This bill establishes a pilot program to provide training for caregivers on improving the well-being of children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities or delays. To carry out the program, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) must award grants to, among other eligible entities, health systems and nonprofits to provide the training. HRSA must also establish a national center to provide technical assistance to grant recipients and to evaluate the program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2023
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Payment Completion Fairness Act or the PSLF Payment Completion Fairness Act This bill removes the requirement that a borrower must be employed in a public service job at the time of loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Under the current PSLF program, the Department of Education must cancel the balance of interest and principal due on a borrower's Federal Direct Loans after the borrower makes 120 monthly loan payments while employed in a public service job and, at the time of loan forgiveness, the borrower is employed in a public service job. This bill removes the requirement that the borrower must be working in a public service job at the time of loan forgiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2023
Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to establish a separate category within the Standard Occupational Classification system for direct support professionals (i.e., individuals who provide services to promote independence in individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability) for data reporting purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2023
Living Donor Protection Act of 2023 This bill prohibits certain insurance carriers from discriminating against, and provides other protections for, living organ donors. Specifically, carriers may not deny, cancel, or otherwise impose conditions on policies for life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance based on an individual's status as a living organ donor. The bill also expressly specifies that recovery from organ-donation surgery constitutes a serious health condition that entitles eligible employees to job-protected medical leave. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must update educational materials on living organ donation to include information about the benefits of living organ donation and about access to insurance for living organ donors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2023
Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act This bill establishes an interagency Federal Work Group on Youth Residential Programs to support and implement best practices regarding the health and safety, care, treatment, and appropriate placement of youth in youth residential programs. The work group must develop recommendations about a national database to aggregate information about processes and outcomes for youth in such programs. The work group also must support the education and training of professional and paraprofessional personnel in fields that service such youth. Further, the Department of Health and Human Services must contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study and make recommendations about various aspects of federal and state oversight of youth residential programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2023
Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act of 2023 or the FAIR Act of 2023 This bill prohibits a predispute arbitration agreement from being valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2023
Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2023 or the SAFE Banking Act of 2023 This bill provides protections for federally regulated financial institutions that serve state-sanctioned marijuana businesses. Currently, many financial institutions do not provide services to state-sanctioned marijuana businesses due to the federal classification of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. Under the bill, a federal banking regulator may not penalize a depository institution for providing banking services to a state-sanctioned marijuana business. For example, regulators may not terminate or limit the deposit or share insurance of a depository institution solely because the institution provides financial services to a state-sanctioned marijuana business. The bill also prohibits a federal banking regulator from requesting or ordering a depository institution to terminate a customer account unless (1) the regulator has determined that the depository institution is engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice or is violating a law or regulation, and (2) that determination is not based primarily on reputation risk. Additionally, proceeds from a transaction involving activities of a state-sanctioned marijuana business are no longer considered proceeds from unlawful activity. (Financial institutions that handle proceeds from unlawful activity are subject to anti-money laundering laws. Violators of these laws are subject to fines and imprisonment.) Furthermore, a financial institution, insurer, or federal agency may not be held liable or subject to asset forfeiture under federal law for providing a loan, mortgage, or other financial service to a state-sanctioned marijuana business.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2023
National Center for the Advancement of Aviation Act of 2023 This bill establishes the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation to (1) develop a skilled and robust U.S. aviation and aerospace workforce; (2) serve as a national independent forum to support collaboration and cooperation between governmental, nongovernmental, and aviation and aerospace industry stakeholders regarding the advancement of the U.S. aviation and aerospace workforce; and (3) serve as a repository for research conducted by institutions of higher education, research institutions, or other stakeholders regarding the aviation and aerospace workforce, or related technical and skill development. The center must perform the following duties improve access to aviation and aerospace education and related skills training to help grow the U.S. aviation and aerospace workforce; support Armed Forces personnel and veterans seeking to transition to a career in civil aviation or an aerospace-related field through outreach, training, apprenticeships, or other means; and amplify and support the research and development efforts conducted as part of the National Aviation Research Plan and work done at the Federal Aviation Administration Centers of Excellence and Technical Centers regarding the aviation and aerospace workforce. Additionally, the center may issue grants to certain entities to, among other things, (1) establish new education programs that teach technical skills used in aviation maintenance; (2) establish scholarships, internships, or apprenticeships for individuals pursuing employment in the aviation maintenance industry; and (3) support outreach about educational opportunities and careers in the aviation maintenance industry.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2023
Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2023 This bill modifies the above-the-line tax deduction for the expenses of performing artists (including commissions paid to managers or agents) to provide for a phaseout of such deduction for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000 ($200,000 for joint return filers). The $100,000 phaseout threshold is adjusted for inflation annually for taxable years beginning after 2023.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000597_200.jpg)