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 · 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 · 27 September 2023
This concurrent resolution recognizes the 10th anniversary of the Rice Stewardship Partnership and the contributions of Ducks Unlimited and USA Rice to environmental stewardship.
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 · 26 September 2023
Pay Our Border Patrol and Customs Agents Act This bill provides FY2024 appropriations for the salaries and expenses of certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees who are required to work during a lapse in appropriations (i.e., government shutdown) in FY2024. Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to CBP for the salaries and expenses of agents of the U.S. Border Patrol and officers of the Office of Field Operations who are excepted from furlough (i.e., required to work) during a lapse in discretionary appropriations in FY2024.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
Pay Our Troops Act This bill provides continuing appropriations for military pay for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2024 are not in effect (i.e., a government shutdown). Specifically, the bill provides FY2024 continuing appropriations for the pay and allowances of (1) members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service during the period; and (2) civilian employees and contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy) who are providing support to such members of the Armed Forces. If a government shutdown occurs, the bill provides the continuing appropriations until the earlier of (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) January 1, 2025.
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 · 13 September 2023
This resolution expresses support for the diplomatic relations required to encourage the government of Mexico to make annual water deliveries to the United States under a 1944 treaty between the two countries. The resolution also acknowledges that farmers in south Texas are experiencing water shortages.
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 · 13 September 2023
Countering CCP Fentanyl Trafficking Act This bill requires the President to impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on Chinese officials determined to having assisted or approved the transportation of pill presses, fentanyl products, or fentanyl precursors to one or more Mexican drug cartels. The President may waive imposition of sanctions on a case-by-case basis upon determining that a waiver is in the national interest of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2023
Protecting Americans from Foreign Commercial Spyware Act This bill prohibits provision of U.S. foreign assistance, except for military assistance, to countries that use foreign commercial spyware to target U.S. persons. If the President certifies to Congress that extraordinary circumstances or national security priorities exist warranting the provision of foreign aid to that country, such prohibition may be waived.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2023
CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act This bill prohibits a Federal Reserve bank from offering products or services directly to an individual, maintaining an account on behalf of an individual, or issuing a central bank digital currency (i.e., a digital dollar) directly or indirectly to an individual. Further, The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee are prohibited from using a central bank digital currency to implement monetary policy.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2023
Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act This bill authorizes the use of federal elementary and secondary education funds to purchase or use dangerous weapons for purposes of training students in archery, hunting, or other shooting sports. Current law prohibits the use of these funds to provide any person with a dangerous weapon or training in the use of a dangerous weapon. The bill specifies that this prohibition shall not apply to training students in archery, hunting, or other shooting sports.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2023 This bill imposes additional requirements relating to placing unaccompanied alien children with sponsors. (Under federal law, an unaccompanied alien child is a minor with no lawful immigration status and no parent or legal guardian in the United States to provide care and physical custody.) Before the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may release such a child to a sponsor, the sponsor must complete a fingerprint background check and vetting that includes (1) a public records check, (2) a National Sex Offender Registry check, (3) a Federal Bureau of Investigation National Criminal History Check, (4) a child abuse and neglect check, and (5) state and local criminal history checks. Each adult in the sponsor's household must also undergo such vetting before the placement. Currently, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within HHS conducts background checks of potential sponsors, which includes fingerprinting and checks of criminal public records and sex offender registries. ORR also vets adults in the sponsor's household in certain cases, such as if the sponsor is unrelated to the child, but this vetting may be waived or relaxed. The bill also requires HHS to visit the home of a proposed sponsor before the placement and to conduct periodic home visits after. A child may not be placed with a sponsor who is unlawfully present in the United States unless the sponsor is the child's parent, relative, or legal guardian. HHS must retroactively apply these vetting standards to all sponsors for placements made since January 20, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2023
SNAP Ban Study Act This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study to evaluate the effects of provisions that ban individuals who are convicted of drug felonies from participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Specifically, GAO must evaluate the effects of (1) the post-incarceration ban on participation by individuals convicted of a drug felony, and (2) state waiver provisions allowing for participation by these individuals. (The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 bars convicted drug felons from participating in SNAP; however, a state may opt to serve such felons by waiving or modifying the requirement.) The GAO must submit a report to Congress on the study and make the report publicly available on the agency's website.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2023
Main Street Tax Certainty Act This bill makes permanent the tax deduction for qualified business income. (Under current law, the deduction expires after December 31, 2025.) Qualified business income is defined as the net amount of qualified items of income, gain, deduction and loss with respect to any trade or business, excluding capital gains or losses, dividends, interest income, or income earned outside the U.S.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2023
Federal Mechanical Insulation Act The bill directs federal agencies to identify energy saving and water saving measures, such as the installation of mechanical insulation property, in certain annual energy and water evaluations of federal buildings. Thus, the bill allows the installation of mechanical insulation property (e.g., thermal insulation) to be considered an energy or water efficiency measure that may be used in federal buildings under the National Energy Conservation Policy Act.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2023
Rural Weather Monitoring Systems Act This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on rural weather monitoring systems, including with respect to availability, capacity, and necessary updates.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2023
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that research and promotion boards support efforts to develop new markets and strengthen existing markets via research, education, and promotion.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2023
Weather Radar Coverage Improvement Act This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a plan to replace the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) system of the National Weather Service by September 30, 2040. The plan must incorporate certain elements, including estimates of improvements to coverage and accuracy and the potential use of commercial radars. The bill also authorizes the National Weather Service to contract with third parties to fill gaps in radar coverage so as to better detect significant weather events over a larger area.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2023
American Confidence in Elections Act or the ACE Act This bill addresses election administration and security, campaign finance, and other related provisions. Specifically, the bill directs the Election Assistance Commission's (EAC's) Standards Board and Local Leadership Council to issue voluntary considerations for states about various aspects of election administration. Additionally, the bill reduces certain election assistance payments for states and local jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote; requires states to provide designated congressional election observers with full access to observe the administration procedures of federal elections; prohibits federal agencies from using funds made available for salaries and expenses to solicit or enter into agreements with nongovernmental organizations to conduct voter registration or voter mobilization activities on the agency's property or website; prohibits federal funds for election administration for states that allow ballot harvesting, with exceptions; establishes various requirements for elections in the District of Columbia; makes various changes to the EAC; and prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions or donations in connection with state or local ballot initiatives or referenda. The bill also establishes the Twentieth Amendment Section Four Panel, which must recommend to Congress model legislation to resolve any vacancy created by the death of a candidate in a contingent presidential or vice-presidential election. The bill makes changes to campaign finance, including by (1) repealing limits on coordinated party expenditures, and (2) prohibiting federal funds from being used to make payments in support of a congressional election campaign. It also makes changes to the Federal Election Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2023
This resolution commemorates one year since the Supreme Court's holding in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (that there is no constitutional right to abortion). The resolution also commits to protecting the right to life.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2023
American Farmers Feed the World Act of 2023 This bill imposes limits and requirements on international food assistance provided under Title II of the Food for Peace Act and makes other changes to the assistance program. First, the bill eliminates the use of food procured outside of the United States, food vouchers, or cash transfers as food as assistance under the program. Second, the bill restricts the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from using more than 50% of its annual appropriations for program expenses other than the procurement of agricultural commodities and ocean transportation. Additionally, the bill limits the amount that USAID may provide to qualified organizations to be used for purposes such as administration, personnel, and program evaluation. Under current law, USAID must spend a minimum of 7.5% and a maximum of 20% of its annual appropriations for these purposes. The bill reduces the minimum to 5% and the maximum to 10%. The bill also cancels the Local and Regional Procurement assistance program, which funds field-based (i.e., outside the United States) agricultural projects. The bill also modifies some of the respective powers of USAID and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). For example, the bill transfers from USAID to USDA the authority to approve drawing emergency food aid from the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust. The bill also renames the assistance program as the Peter O'Brien Food for Peace Program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2023
Stop Illegal Reentry Act or Kate's Law This bill increases criminal penalties for certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who illegally reenter the United States after removal or exclusion. Generally, an individual who had been denied entry into or removed from the United States and who later enters or attempts to enter the United States without prior approval from the Department of Homeland Security shall be fined, imprisoned for up to five years, or both. Current law requires a fine, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, for such an individual. An individual who had been denied entry or removed three or more times and who later enters or attempts to enter the United States shall be fined, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both. An individual who was convicted of an aggravated felony or convicted at least two times before removal or departure and who subsequently enters or tries to enter the United States shall be imprisoned at least five years and for up to twenty years, and may also be fined. Currently, there is no minimum term of imprisonment for an individual who reenters after a conviction for an aggravated felony, and there are no criminal penalties for a reentering individual who had been convicted at least two times (other than the penalties for illegal reentry generally).
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2023
Feral Swine Eradication Act This bill reauthorizes the feral swine eradication and control pilot program and removes the pilot program designation. This Department of Agriculture (USDA) program responds to the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, native ecosystems, and human and animal health. The bill also directs USDA to require the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to continue monitoring an area for reoccurrence of feral swine for one year after USDA determines that feral swine has been eradicated from an eligible area. The current even distribution of the program's funds between APHIS and the NRCS is amended to allocate 60% of the funds to APHIS and 40% of the funds to the NRCS. Further, the bill includes new reporting requirements, which direct APHIS and the NRCS to submit a joint report to Congress on the program. This report must be publicly available on USDA's website.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2023
Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act This bill addresses unfair trade practices by making various changes to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty law. Antidumping provides relief to U.S industries and workers that are materially injured or threatened with injury due to imports of like products sold in the U.S. market at less than fair value, while countervailing duty provides such relief from imports of products subsidized by a foreign government or public entity. Specifically, the bill establishes a process for successive antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Successive investigations may be concurrent (an ongoing investigation of the same product) or recently completed (not more than two years before the date of the initiation of the successive investigation). Further, the bill establishes a time line for the Department of Commerce to issue determinations in successive investigations. Among other provisions, the bill authorizes Commerce to apply countervailing duty law to subsidies provided by a foreign government or public entity to a company operating in a third country, use another method for calculating the cost of production in specific circumstances, and require importers to provide a certification that the imported merchandise is not subject to an antidumping or countervailing duty order. Additionally, the bill statutorily establishes procedures for Commerce to conduct circumvention inquiries, including by specifying the deadlines for preliminary and final determinations. The bill also provides statutory authority for Commerce to investigate currency undervaluation as a countervailable subsidy.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2023
Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act or the FUELS Act This bill increases thresholds for requiring a farm to have a plan to address oil spills. Currently, regulations require a farm to have an oil spill control and prevention plan that is certified by a professional engineer if the farm's aboveground oil storage capacity is above a certain threshold or if the farm has a reportable oil discharge history. A farm with lower aboveground storage capacity and no reportable history is either allowed to self-certify its plan or not required to have a plan at all, depending on the farm's storage capacity. Under the bill, the Environmental Protection Agency must require a farm to have a professionally certified plan if the farm has an aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity of 40,000 gallons or more, whereas the current threshold is 20,000 gallons. The bill also raises the aggregate capacity thresholds at which a farm with no reportable oil discharge history may self-certify its plan or is not required to have a plan. The bill also limits when a farm's aboveground oil storage containers on separate parcels shall count toward the farm's oil storage capacity for the purposes of these thresholds.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2023
This bill increases funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program. This Department of Agriculture program provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to maintain and improve existing conservation systems and to adopt additional conservation activities in a comprehensive manner on a producer's entire operation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Gun Owner Registration Information Protection Act This bill prohibits federal funding of, or support for, state databases that list (1) firearms lawfully owned or possessed by individuals, or (2) individuals who lawfully own or possess firearms.
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
Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Safe Integrity Act of 2023 or the DRIVE Safe Integrity Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to promulgate regulations to implement an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21. (The bill expands on the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program, which allows certain 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old drivers to operate commercial vehicles in interstate commerce if certain training and safety requirements are met.) Under the program, an apprentice must complete two probationary periods that total 400 hours of on-duty time, of which at least 240 hours must be driving time in a commercial motor vehicle. Additionally, the apprentice must be accompanied in the cab of the commercial motor vehicle by an experienced driver. Further, the bill requires all commercial motor vehicles used in the program for training to be equipped with safety technology such as active braking collision mitigation systems and video event capturing systems. An employer shall not knowingly allow, require, permit, or authorize a driver under the age of 21 to operate a commercial motor vehicle unless the driver is participating in, or has completed, an apprenticeship program that meets the requirements set forth in this bill. DOT must report quarterly on the status of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
This bill applies the expedited environmental review processes for major infrastructure projects under FAST-41 to federal actions involving certain port, aviation, and pipeline projects. Specifically, this bill requires, to the greatest extent feasible, the Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct efficient environmental reviews for port infrastructure projects, pipeline projects, and airport or aviation projects that require DOT's approval under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). In addition, DOT must maintain and publish a database concerning such projects that are categorically excluded from NEPA requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
This bill allows commercial motor vehicles transporting dry bulk goods to operate on the Interstate Highway System with up to 110% of the maximum authorized weight on any axle or axle group.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Rolling Stock Protection Act This bill eliminates an exemption from the prohibition on using a type of federal financial aid to procure rail rolling stock for use in public transportation from certain manufacturers. Such prohibited manufacturers include ones that, among other things, are owned or controlled by a company based in a nonmarket economy country that is flagged for monitoring by the United States Trade Representative. Currently, this exemption applies to contracts made prior to the prohibition.
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
Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder Act of 2023 or the HELPER Act of 2023 This bill establishes a program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide mortgage assistance to law enforcement officers, elementary and secondary school teachers, firefighters, or other first responders. Specifically, these individuals may be eligible for a first-time mortgage on a primary family residence with no down payment. Instead, the mortgage is subject to a one-time, up-front mortgage insurance premium.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2023
This resolution expresses support for recognizing National Police Week. The resolution further recognizes law enforcement officers across the United States in the pursuit of preserving safe and secure communities; the need to ensure that such officers have the equipment, training, and resources necessary to protect their health and safety while they are protecting the public; and the law enforcement community for acts of sacrifice and heroism. The resolution expresses condolences and appreciation to the loved ones of each law enforcement officer who has made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2023
This bill nullifies a requirement for certain foreign travelers to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before being admitted into the United States. Specifically, this bill nullifies a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rule that imposed this requirement for each traveler who is neither a U.S. national nor a lawful permanent resident arriving at land port of entry or ferry on the U.S.-Canada border. The bill also nullifies another CBP rule that applied this restriction to the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill also nullifies any subsequent decision by CBP or the Department of Homeland Security that imposes such a requirement.
![Official portrait of Rep. Crawford, Eric A. "Rick" [R-AR-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/6916065185b49de40f52cad4_200.jpg)