United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to contract for and place a statue of Benjamin Franklin in the Capitol. The committee shall place the statue in a permanent public location where it is accessible during a guided tour provided by the Capitol Visitor Center. The contract must be executed by December 31, 2025, and the statue must be placed by December 31, 2026.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
Fair Milk Pricing for Farmers Act This bill requires manufacturers to report production cost and product yield information for all dairy products processed in the same facility or facilities to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dairy Product Mandatory Reporting Program. Further, USDA must publish a report containing the information obtained under these new requirements and publish a report every two years thereafter. As background, under the Dairy Product Mandatory Reporting Program, USDA must collect certain dairy product sales information from manufacturers and release the data on a weekly basis.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act. [ sic ] This bill temporarily directs the Department of the Interior to award a grant to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for the expenses associated with operating and enhancing the community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs of the National Law Enforcement Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2025
Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act or the CHIP IN for Veterans Act This bill makes permanent, starting December 16, 2026, the pilot program under which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may accept donations of property or facilities from certain nonfederal entities (e.g., state authorities or private entities). The bill also removes the limit on the number of donations that the VA may accept under the program.
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
Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act This bill modifies the Raker Act, which allowed San Francisco to dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley within Yosemite National Park, to (1) increase the annual rent San Francisco pays to the National Park Service (NPS), and (2) direct the NPS to expand public access to the reservoir and lake created by the dam. Specifically, the bill increases rent paid by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for the use of the park from $30,000 to $2 million per year. That amount must be adjusted annually to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The commission may not recoup such sums from wholesale water or power customers. The bill allows collected rent to be used by the Department of the Interior for wildfire mitigation activities in the park and other national parks in California. The bill also requires the NPS to administer the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Eleanor Basin areas for public recreation, benefit, and use in a manner that will preserve scenic, historic, scientific, or otherwise important features.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act This bill establishes new federal criminal offenses for operating a motor vehicle within 100 miles of the U.S. border while fleeing from a U.S. Border Patrol agent or a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer who is actively assisting or under the command of the U.S. Border Patrol. The bill establishes criminal penalties for an offense, including a mandatory minimum prison term for an offense resulting in death or serious bodily injury. Additionally, a non-U.S. national who is convicted of or admits to committing an offense is inadmissible, deportable, and ineligible for immigration relief (including asylum).
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
Proven Forest Management Act of 2025 This bill sets forth provisions to expedite the approval and implementation of forest management activities and establishes related requirements. First, the bill categorically excludes a forest management activity conducted on National Forest System land for reducing forest fuels from certain environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 if the activity (1) does not exceed 10,000 acres (including not more than 3,000 acres of mechanical thinning), (2) is developed in a collaborative manner, and (3) is consistent with the forest plan developed for the relevant National Forest System land. Next, the bill directs the Forest Service to conduct forest management activities in a manner that attains multiple ecosystem benefits unless the costs associated with attaining such benefits are excessive. Additionally, the Forest Service must (1) establish any post-program ground condition criteria for a ground disturbance caused by a forest management activity required by the applicable forest plan, and (2) provide for monitoring to ascertain the attainment of relevant post-program conditions. The bill also allows the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior, as appropriate, to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with certain entities to provide for fuel reduction, erosion control, reforestation, and similar activities on federal and nonfederal lands within land adjustment programs. Finally, the bill directs the Forest Service, when conducting a forest management activity on National Forest System land, to coordinate with impacted parties to increase efficiency and maximize the compatibility of management practices across such land.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 20 25 This bill revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking. Specifically, the bill establishes a congressional approval process for a major rule. A major rule may only take effect if Congress approves of the rule. A major rule is a rule that has resulted in or is likely to result in (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises. The bill generally preserves the current congressional review process for a nonmajor rule.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2024
This resolution supports the designation of a National Animal Rescue Day to create awareness for animal rescue programs throughout the year and address the challenge of pet overpopulation through continued spaying and neutering.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2024
Increasing Baseline Updates Act This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to submit to Congress at least two updates to its annual baseline. At least one of the updates must include the economic data used by CBO to calculate the update. (A baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during a fiscal year under current law. Under current law, CBO is required to publish the baseline by February 15 of each year. While there is no statutory requirement for specific updates, CBO generally provides an update with its analysis of the President's annual budget request. It has also provided some updates during the summer, depending on the timing of the President's budget request.) The bill also requires the President to submit technical budget data to Congress on or before February 1 of each year. Currently, federal agencies provide the data to Congress as part of the President's budget request.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2024
Congressional Budget Office Scheduling Reform Act This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to annually publish a schedule of the expected publication dates of its major recurring reports. The schedule must must include, at a minimum, the expected publication dates for the baseline for the budget year and subsequent updates, the report on options to reduce the deficit, the report on the accuracy of budgetary projections for the most recently completed fiscal year, and the report on programs or activities with unauthorized appropriations. CBO must (1) publish the schedule on its public website no later than December 31 of each year, and (2) update the schedule during the following calendar year as necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2024
This resolution expresses support for the designation of Gold Star Families Remembrance Week and recognizes the sacrifices made by veterans' families and the families of members of the Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in order to defend freedom and protect the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2024
This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 130 South Patterson Avenue in Santa Barbara, California, as the "Brigadier General Frederick R. Lopez Post Office Building".
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2024
Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 This bill provides FY2024 supplemental appropriations to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and establishes reporting requirements related to VA funding and projected shortfalls. Specifically, the bill provides FY2024 supplemental appropriations to the VBA for Compensation and Pensions, and Readjustment Benefits. In addition, the bill requires the VA to report to Congress on (1) corrections the VA will make to improve forecasting, data quality, and budget assumptions relating to budget submissions for the VBA's Compensation and Pensions and Readjustment Benefits accounts; and (2) the status of funds provided to these accounts for FY2024, FY2025, and FY2026 by this or any other act. The bill also requires the VA Office of Inspector General to report to Congress on (1) the circumstances and causes of certain funding shortfalls that the VA has projected for the VBA and the Veterans Health Administration, and (2) actions that the VA can take to improve the accuracy of the supporting information submitted with the President's budget and prevent funding shortfalls.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2024
Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 This bill makes changes to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), including by requiring CFIUS to determine whether a national security review is necessary for reportable agricultural land transactions that are referred by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). (CFIUS oversees the national security risks of certain foreign investment in the United States. CFIUS has the authority to review covered transactions, which include mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers that could result in foreign control of a U.S. business; certain investments in businesses involved in critical technologies, critical infrastructure, or sensitive personal data; and certain real estate transactions.) Specifically, the bill directs CFIUS to, after receiving notification from USDA, determine (1) whether a reportable agricultural land transaction is a covered transaction, and (2) whether CFIUS should initiate a national security review or take another action with respect to the transaction. Reportable agricultural land transaction means a transaction (1) that USDA has reason to believe is a covered transaction; (2) that involves the acquisition of an interest in agricultural land by a foreign person of China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran; and (3) with respect to which a foreign person is required to submit a report to USDA regarding their agricultural land transactions. The bill also expands the membership of CFIUS to include the Secretary of Agriculture on covered transactions that involve agricultural land, agricultural biotechnology, or the agriculture industry (e.g., agricultural transportation, storage, and processing).
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2024
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to local governments for the training of local enforcement officers on the public health threats resulting from building code violations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2024
Supporting Innovation in Agriculture Act of 2024 This bill establishes a new tax credit for investment in any innovative agricultural technology project. The amount of the credit is 30% of such investment. The bill defines innovative agricultural technology project as an agricultural technology or system placed in service before December 31, 2035, and for which the primary purpose is to produce, store, process, and package specialty crops using precision agriculture or controlled environment agriculture.