United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2023
This resolution (1) censures Representative Jamaal Bowman for knowingly causing a false fire alarm in an attempt to obstruct official proceedings of the House of Representatives, and (2) removes him from committee assignments.
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 expresses support for the designation of National Chemistry Week. The resolution also recognizes the need to promote the fields of science, including chemistry, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and to encourage youth, including from underrepresented groups, to pursue careers in these fields.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2023
This resolution condemns the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff. It also urges the Department of Education to direct the Office for Civil Rights to investigate and, where appropriate, take immediate action.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2023
Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act This bill prohibits obligating or expending U.S. funds in Gaza unless the President makes certain certifications. Specifically, it prohibits such expenditures unless the President certifies that (1) the funds will not benefit Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, other foreign terrorist organizations, or their members; and (2) all hostages taken by such organizations have been freed. The bill also prohibits obligating or expending funds in Gaza through any United Nations entity or office unless the President certifies that the entity or office is not encouraging or teaching anti-Israel or anti-Semitic ideas or propaganda.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2023
No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act This bill requires the President to impose property-blocking sanctions on foreign financial institutions and international financial institutions that process, participate in, or facilitate a transaction involving certain Iranian funds (namely, the approximately $6 billion of Iranian funds that the Biden administration permitted to be transferred from restricted accounts in South Korea to restricted accounts in Qatar to facilitate the release of five U.S. citizens detained in Iran).
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2023
This bill terminates the presidential waiver of certain sanctions on Iran and the licenses issued by the Department of the Treasury that allowed for the transfer of previously blocked Iranian funds (namely, the approximately $6 billion of Iranian funds that the Biden Administration permitted to be transferred from restricted accounts in South Korea to restricted accounts in Qatar to facilitate the release of five U.S. citizens detained in Iran). Furthermore, the President may not exercise waiver authority related to certain accounts belonging to Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2023
Exposing China's Belt and Road Investment in America Act of 2023 This bill requires the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review certain investments made by China in the United States. Specifically, the committee must review any investment by a foreign person that (1) involves the acquisition of real estate in the United States and the establishment of a U.S. business on such real estate, and (2) could result in direct or indirect control of that U.S. business by China. A party to any such investment must submit to the committee a declaration containing basic information regarding the transaction.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2023
This resolution states that there is an influx of terrorism through the northern U.S. border, posing a threat to national security. The resolution demands that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas implement a plan to better secure the northern U.S. border.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2023
Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act of 2023 This bill allows married couples filing a joint tax return to apply the $2,500 limitation on the tax deduction for student loan interest separately to each spouse.
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
Strengthening Tools to Counter the Use of Human Shields Act This bill extends the authority of the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons using human shields through 2030 and requires the President to impose such sanctions on each foreign person determined to be a member of Palestine Islamic Jihad and orders, controls, or otherwise directs the use of human shields. Currently, such sanctions are (1) required for users of human shields who are members of Hamas or Hezbollah or supporters of those groups, and (2) authorized for other users of human shields. The President must also determine if a person named in certain congressional requests meets the criteria for such sanctions and report on whether the President intends to impose sanctions on that person. Additionally, the Department of Defense must report to Congress on the implications of the use of human shields by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestine Islamic Jihad.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2023
'Operation Swords of Iron' Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act This bill provides $2 billion in appropriations for the Department of Defense to provide to the government of Israel for the procurement of the Iron Dome defense system to counter short-range rocket threats. The funds must be provided to address emergent requirements in support of Operation Swords of Iron.
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 · 29 September 2023
American Genetic Privacy Act of 202 3 This bill prohibits a commercial DNA testing service from disclosing an individual's genetic information to China or any entity under the influence, control, or ownership of China. The Federal Trade Commission is authorized to enforce this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2023
This resolution recognizes the goal of the education system shall be that virtually every American student be able to read at grade level or better. Additionally, the resolution encourages literacy programs to be set up to include one-on-one tutoring for each student diagnosed with a literacy gap of one year or more. The resolution encourages this one-on-one tutoring to be five days per week until the student is reading at grade level. The resolution also encourages state and local government agencies working with private organizations with proven literacy programs to (1) work together to identify and establish solutions to illiteracy, and (2) establish adult literacy programs to help adults who have reading gaps below 8th grade.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2023
Training Assignments for Student Knowledge Act or the TASK Act This bill excludes from the definition of an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 an individual who performs tasks and services required by a postsecondary vocational institution to obtain a recognized postsecondary credential.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the policy update issued by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) on May 5, 2022, related to discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) deemed the policy update a rule on June 5, 2023, and therefore subject to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) requirement that a rule must be submitted to Congress and the GAO before it can take effect. The CRA also permits Congress to review and disapprove rules using specified procedures. In June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County that, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the prohibition on sex discrimination in employment includes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The FNS determined that the Bostock analysis also applies to certain FNS-enforced requirements under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 because the requirements are sufficiently similar to those in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The FNS rule concludes that the prohibitions against sex discrimination in the FNS-enforced statutes prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. The rule also directs state agencies and program operators to handle complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation as complaints of prohibited sex discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2023
Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act of 2023 This bill affirms federal recognition of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians of Michigan. Specifically, the bill makes the tribe and its members eligible for services and benefits provided to federally recognized tribes, without regard to the existence of a reservation for the tribe or the location of the residence of any member on or near a reservation. The service area of the tribe shall be Newaygo, Oceana, Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa Counties in Michigan. Further, the tribe must submit a membership roll to the Department of the Interior as a condition of receiving recognition, services, and benefits. The tribe must maintain the membership roll. The bill directs Interior to (1) acquire, for the benefit of the tribe, trust title to land within Muskegon, Newaygo, or Oceana Counties; and (2) accept into trust any real property located in those counties for the benefit of the tribe if the property is conveyed to Interior and, at the time of such acceptance, there are no adverse legal claims on such property (e.g., outstanding liens, mortgages, or taxes owed). Additionally, the bill allows Interior to (1) acquire additional land for the benefit of the tribe, and (2) take into trust land in specified counties for the benefit of the tribe. Any land taken into trust for the benefit of the tribe shall, upon request of the tribe, be considered part of the tribe's reservation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
This resolution supports the designation of National Teach Ag Day and recognizes the important role of agricultural education and the National FFA Organization in developing the next generation of agricultural leaders.
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 · 18 September 2023
Insurance Data Protection Act This bill limits the ability of federal entities to compel insurance companies to share information. Specifically, the bill eliminates the subpoena power of the Federal Insurance Office. Under current law, the office has the power to subpoena information from insurers to, among other purposes, identify issues that could contribute to a systemic crisis in the insurance industry or the U.S. financial system. The bill also eliminates the ability of the Office of Financial Research to subpoena insurance companies. When seeking to collect insurance company data under specified consumer protection laws, a financial regulator must obtain the data from other regulators or from publicly available sources if possible. Otherwise, the financial regulator may only collect this data directly from the insurance company if it complies with the Paperwork Reduction Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2023
Native American Health Savings Improvement Act This bill allows individuals who are eligible for a medical care program of the Indian Health Service or a tribal organization to participate in health savings accounts.
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
This bill specifies a legal standard for determining whether an individual is considered an independent contractor rather than an employee for the purposes of federal labor laws that address issues such as the federal minimum wage, overtime compensation, and collective bargaining. The rights and protections provided by these laws exclusively apply to employees. Under the bill, an individual is considered an independent contractor if (1) another individual or entity does not exercise significant control over the details of how the individual's work is performed, without regard to any control the other individual or entity may exercise over the final result of the work performed; and (2) while performing such work, the individual has opportunities and risks inherent with entrepreneurship (for example, the discretion to exercise professional judgment). The bill also sets forth factors that may not be used to determine whether an individual is an employee. Specifically, factors such as whether another individual or entity requires the individual to meet certain legal, health and safety, insurance, or performance requirements may not be used to make such a determination.
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
Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act This bill modifies the definition of rural area that is used for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program and adds provisions for small communities. As background, the grant program supports projects that improve and expand the surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas. Eligible applicants for the grant program include states, regional transportation planning organizations, local governments, and tribal governments. For purposes of the program, the bill defines rural area as an area outside an urbanized area that has a population of 20,000 or less. Current law requires a rural area to be outside of an urbanized area with a population of over 200,000. The bill includes provisions for small communities (i.e., an area outside an urbanized area and that has a population of 5,000 or less). The bill sets the maximum federal cost-share at 90% for project grants carried out in a small community. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must use at least 5% of the program's annual funds to provide grants for projects in small communities. The bill also removes the prohibition against DOT using more than 10% of program funds for grants that are under $25 million. Further, program grants may be used for highway, road, bridge, or tunnel projects that would benefit the economic development or quality of life for citizens of the local community. The bill also specifies that the program's goals include the generation of economic growth and development in rural areas.
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 · 8 September 2023
This resolution (1) supports the designation of Patriot Week; and (2) recognizes that each generation should renew the spirit of the nation based on the first principles, historical figures, founding documents, and symbols of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 August 2023
Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2023 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide Medicare payment on a reasonable-cost basis for anesthesia services furnished by an anesthesiologist in a rural hospital. Specifically, the CMS shall provide payment for such services in the same manner as payment is provided under current law for services furnished in a rural hospital by a certified registered nurse anesthetist.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2023
Dump Investments in Troublesome Communist Holdings Act or the DITCH Act This bill denies an organization a tax exemption if it holds any interest in a disqualified Chinese company or fails to timely transmit required annual reports. A disqualified Chinese company is any corporation incorporated in China, or that invests more than 10% of its stock in certain Chinese entities, including entities controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. The Department of the Treasury may grant organizations a waiver of the denial of the tax exemption under specified circumstances. Organizations that hold any interest in a disqualified Chinese company must file annual reports describing each interest held in the company, the period during which such interest was held, and whether the organization has been granted a waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2023
Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Recoupment Act This bill extends the time period when a state must recover improperly paid pandemic unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and bring related criminal charges or enforcement actions to 10 years. The bill also adds certain recovery requirements to two pandemic UI programs—Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Lost Wages Assistance (LWA)—that match the requirements of other pandemic UI programs. Specifically, the state must (1) repay itself by deducting the PUA or LWA funds from any UI benefits a recipient may later qualify to receive; and (2) ensure the recipient is provided with notice, a hearing, and a final determination.