United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2023
Protecting Our Kids from Harmful Research Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds for research or publications concerning gender transitions in individuals under the age of 18.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2023
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 calls on President Biden to once again add the United States as a signatory to the Geneva Consensus Declaration.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2023
This resolution recognizes the cultural and historical significance of the Hmong New Year and wishes Hmong Americans and all individuals who observe this holiday a happy new year.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2023
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 517 Seagaze Drive in Oceanside, California, as the "Charlesetta Reece Allen Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2023
Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act or the DETERRENT Act This bill expands oversight and disclosure requirements related to foreign sources and institutions of higher education (IHEs). Specifically, the bill requires an IHE to annually disclose to the Department of Education (ED) any year in which the IHE receives a gift from a foreign country of concern (e.g., China or Russia) or foreign entity of concern of any dollar amount; receives a gift or contract from a foreign source (other than a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern) that is valued at $50,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts or contracts within a calendar year (current disclosure threshold is $250,000 or more), or which has an undetermined monetary value; enters into a contract with a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern after receiving a waiver for such contract; or is substantially controlled by a foreign source. Additionally, the bill prohibits IHEs from entering into contracts with a foreign country of concern or with a foreign entity of concern without obtaining a waiver, requires certain IHEs to disclose gifts or contracts between faculty members and foreign sources, and requires private IHEs with specified assets or investments to file annual investment disclosure reports. The bill authorizes ED to investigate possible violations of this bill and outlines the various penalties for each violation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2023
This resolution urges the President to demand the release of all hostages in Gaza. The resolution also urges the President to maintain all applicable sanctions on Iran and to use all other coercive and diplomatic resources to secure the release of Americans wrongfully detained in Gaza.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2023
This resolution states that the House of Representatives stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists, reaffirms Israel's right to self-defense, and condemns Hamas' brutal war against Israel. The resolution also reaffirms the United States' commitment to Israel's security, supports emergency resupply and certain other types of assistance to Israel, and urges full enforcement of sanctions against Iran to prevent Iran's funding of terrorist groups.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2023
This resolution expresses support for the designation of Real Women's Day and opposition to forcing biological women and girls to compete against biological boys and men in girls’ and women’s sports.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2023
This resolution states that the House of Representatives stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists, reaffirms Israel's right to self-defense, and condemns Hamas' brutal war against Israel. The resolution also reaffirms the United States' commitment to Israel's security, supports emergency resupply and certain other types of assistance to Israel, and urges full enforcement of sanctions against Iran to prevent Iran's funding of terrorist groups.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2023
This resolution supports the observance of the second Monday in October as Columbus Day and honors the contributions of the Italian-American community thanks to the influence of Christopher Columbus.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2023
This resolution supports the designation of National 4–H Week and recognizes the important role of 4–H as the youth development program of the nation's Cooperative Extension System and the Department of Agriculture.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2023
Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 This bill extends rules for the treatment of certain disaster-related personal casualty losses and provides tax relief for losses due to wildfires and a certain incident involving a train derailment. Specifically, the bill excludes from taxpayer gross income, for income tax purposes, any amount received by an individual taxpayer as compensation for expenses or losses incurred due to a qualified wildfire disaster (a disaster declared after 2014 as a result of a forest or range fire). It also excludes relief payments for losses resulting from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment on February 3, 2023.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2023
Native American Burial Sites and Cultural Resources Protection Act This bill directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to establish a pilot program to protect Native American burial sites, village sites, and cultural resources identified or discovered at covered civil works projects in the watershed of the Sacramento River and its tributaries, including the American, Bear, Yuba, and Feather Rivers, in California. In carrying out this pilot program, USACE must identify, and cooperate with appropriate government property owners to set aside, areas that may be used for the reburial of Native American human remains and funerary objects that have been identified or discovered at the site of a covered civil works project that is being constructed, reconstructed, or repaired, or operated and maintained, using federal funds; have been rightfully claimed by any affected Indian tribe; and can be reburied in a manner secure from future disturbances.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2023
Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to streamline the process for individuals applying for or renewing enrollment in multiple security threat assessment (STA) programs, in particular the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and the Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) programs. Among other things, the TSA must permit an individual to enroll at a TSA-authorized enrollment center once and use the application, as well as information generated by TSA’s vetting, to enroll in any other programs; permit an individual to enroll in more than one STA program at the same time for a single fee that is less than the combined fee for applying to the same programs separately; provide for a streamlined and expeditious renewal process; and provide states the expiration dates for each individual’s STA to ensure commercial driver's licenses include an individual's current HME status. Additionally, the TSA must publish on its website information relating to the streamlining of the enrollment system. If the TSA determines it is necessary to implement these changes through rulemaking, the bill provides for an expedited rulemaking process.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2023
This resolution recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as a testament to the advancement of Filipino Americans and a time to renew efforts toward researching and examining the history of Filipino Americans to give all people of the United States an opportunity to learn about their contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2023
Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act This bill establishes a joint task force to identify and address trade barriers to U.S. agricultural exports. Specifically, the bill directs the President to establish the Agricultural Trade Enforcement Task Force. Members of this task force include employees of the Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The bill requires the task force to (1) identify trade barriers to U.S. agricultural exports that are vulnerable to dispute settlement under the World Trade Organization (WTO) or other trade agreements, (2) develop and implement a strategy for enforcing violations of trade agreements related to those trade barriers, (3) identify like-minded trading partners for specific trade barriers that could act as complainants on disputes that are systemically or economically important to the United States, and (4) submit periodic reports to Congress. In its initial report, the task force must include a plan for filing a request under the WTO dispute settlement process for consultations to address India's minimum price supports.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2023
Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2023 This bill temporarily extends specific Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs and activities through December 31, 2023. For example, the bill extends the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) pilot programs (e.g., the UAS Test Site Program and the UAS remote detection and identification pilot program), weather reporting programs, Remote Tower Pilot Program, and Essential Air Service Program. The bill also extends the authorization for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). (This program provides grants for planning, development, and noise compatibility projects at or associated with certain public-use airports.) Further, the bill extends through December 31, 2023, the FAA's authority for expenditures from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) and to collect various taxes and fees to fund the AATF, including taxes on aviation fuel and airline tickets. (The AATF is the primary funding source for all major FAA accounts that fund federal aviation programs, with the remainder coming from general fund appropriations.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2023
Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act of 2023 This bill directs and authorizes certain actions aimed at supporting Armenia in its conflict with Azerbaijan. For example, the bill repeals presidential waiver authority that allows for certain foreign assistance to Azerbaijan; authorizes foreign military financing grants to Armenia for FY2024; requires the Department of State to submit a detailed strategy to Congress to ensure the durable security for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and a detailed report on alleged Azerbaijani atrocities in its attacks on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022 and 2023; authorizes the State Department and USAID to implement activities related to development of Armenia's energy sector; requires the State Department to seek opportunities for partnership between U.S. and Armenian entities on science and technology; and requires the President to impose sanctions on certain Azerbaijani officials determined to have directed (1) operations instigating the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, (2) attacks on Armenia in September 2022, (3) the blockade of the Lachin corridor beginning in December 2022, or (4) attacks on Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
Stop Campus Hazing Act This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs to report hazing incidents. Specifically, the bill requires each IHE to disclose hazing incidents that were reported to campus security authorities or local police agencies in its annual security report. The bill defines the term hazing to mean any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a person against a student (regardless of that student's willingness to participate), that (1) is connected with an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, an organization (e.g., a club, athletic team, fraternity, or sorority); and (2) causes or is likely to contribute to a substantial risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the IHE or the organization, of physical injury, mental harm, or degradation. In addition, each IHE must develop and distribute as part of its annual security report a statement of policy regarding the following: (1) a comprehensive program to prevent hazing, which must include information on hazing awareness and hazing prevention; and (2) the IHE's current campus policies on hazing, which must include procedures that comply with specified collection and reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
Youth Lead Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants to the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Boy Scouts of America, the National 4–H Council, and the National FFA Organization. These grants must be used to establish pilot projects to expand the programs carried out by the organizations in rural areas and small towns.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2023
Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act of 2023 This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to establish a fresh produce program that serves individuals at risk of food and nutrition insecurity. Specifically, the AMS must enter into contracts with growers, distributors, food hubs, and others to procure U.S.- grown fresh produce (excluding legumes) for distribution to organizations that serve individuals at risk (e.g., nonprofit food banks and pantries, schools, child or senior care centers, and community-based organizations). Under the AMS contracts, the produce must meet specific requirements. For example, the produce must be grown in the United States, include locally grown produce, and include at least seven varieties of fresh produce that are distributed. The AMS must prioritize contracts with eligible growers, distributors, food hubs, and others that are (or source produce from) beginning farmers; small or mid-sized farms that are structured as family farms; or socially disadvantaged farmers, including women-owned and veteran-owned eligible entities. As part of the program, the AMS must provide (1) information to assist small farmers, beginning farmers, veteran farmers, and socially disadvantaged farmers in obtaining food safety certifications; (2) financial assistance for changes and upgrades to improve food safety; and (3) technical assistance to eligible fresh produce growers, distributors, food hubs, and others. In addition, the Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress that evaluates the effectiveness of the program with respect to, among other things, increasing low-income households' access to a wide variety of fresh produce and increasing the federal government's procurement of fresh produce.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2023
Natural Disaster Property Protection Act of 2023 This bill increases from $600 to $5,000 the dollar threshold for information reporting of payments for qualified natural disaster expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2023
FACE Act Repeal Act of 2023 This bill repeals provisions of federal criminal law that prohibit conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with persons who are seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2023
Electronic Permitting Modernization Act This bill requires the Department of the Interior to design and deliver modernized electronic permitting systems. Specifically, those systems must (1) be able to accept, process, and record applications for permits, forms, and other paperwork required for activities regulated by Interior; and (2) provide a centralized electronic permitting system online repository available to the public on its website. Interior must provide periodic updates to Congress on this bill's implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2023
This resolution condemns the actions of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for violating the Second Amendment to the Constitution and depriving the citizens of New Mexico of their right to bear arms.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2023
Respect for the Second Amendment Act This bill prohibits enforcement of any federal, state, or local law that restricts or otherwise regulates privately owned firearms or ammunition, unless it is consistent with the historical tradition of firearm regulation in the United States. The bill allows the Department of Justice to bring civil actions and creates a private right of action for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2023
Collision Avoidance Systems Act of 2023 This bill allows for the use of a pulsating light system for vehicle braking. Specifically, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 108 (Standard 108) must be deemed to allow for the use of a pulsating light system on covered vehicles (i.e., passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, and motorcycles). The Department of Transportation must issue regulations to update Standard 108 to (1) include performance-based standards for pulsating light systems, and (2) allow for the use of the systems on motor vehicles. As background, Standard 108 regulates all automotive lighting, signaling, and reflective devices. Under the bill, a pulsating light system includes a system for a high-mounted stop lamp in which the lamp pulses rapidly no more than four times and for no more than 1.2 seconds when the brake of the vehicle is applied and then converts to a continuous light (as a normal stop lamp) until the brake is released.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2023
Giving Increased Variety to Ensure Milk Into the Lives of Kids Act or the GIVE MILK Act This bill revises the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to allow WIC participants (or the parent or guardian of such participants) to elect to be issued nonfat milk, 1% low-fat milk, 2% reduced-fat milk, or whole milk. Current WIC regulations restrict the milk choices for most women and children who are at least two years old to nonfat or 1% milk, with exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2023
Crucial Communism Teaching Act This bill directs the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to develop a civic education curriculum and oral history resources for high school students to promote understanding of certain political ideologies (e.g., communism and totalitarianism) that conflict with principles of U.S. democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 1 September 2023
Empowering Parents Act This bill prohibits certain actions by public elementary and secondary schools. Specifically, the bill prohibits schools from compelling a teacher or student to adopt, affirm, adhere to, or profess certain ideas (e.g., that the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist) or any idea in violation of Title IV or Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; compelling a student to observe or espouse obscene or sexual materials without parental consent; instructing or requiring an employee to refer to a student using a pronoun not associated with the biological sex of the student without parental consent; acting as the agent of a parent for purposes of providing verifiable parental consent or receiving a notice or other information required to be provided to a parent; or neglecting to report sexual assault or sexual harassment on school property to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. A parent aggrieved by conduct prohibited under the bill may commerce a civil action against the school.
United States · United States Congress · 1 September 2023
Defending Students' Civil Rights Act of 2023 This bill prohibits federally funded programs or activities from being premised on certain principles relating to race or sex. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds for programs or activities that are premised on principles such as that (1) one race or sex is inherently superior to another, (2) the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist, and (3) an individual bears responsibility for the past actions of others of the same race or sex. The bill includes the use of these principles as a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs or activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 September 2023
Empowering Local Curriculum Act This bill specifies that nothing in federal education law shall be construed to require the use, teaching, promotion, or recommendation of any academic discipline, program, or activity that holds certain principles related to race or sex. These prohibited principles include, for example, that the United States is a nation founded on White supremacy and oppression; one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist; any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of the individual's race or sex; or meritocracy or traits such as hard work ethic are racist, sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress another race.
United States · United States Congress · 25 August 2023
Defending Veterans' Second Amendment Rights Act This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from transmitting personally identifiable information of veterans or their beneficiaries to the national instant criminal background check system utilized by licensed importers or dealers of firearms solely on the basis that a veteran has a service-connected disability.