United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2023
Social Security 2100 Act This bill modifies the Social Security system, particularly with respect to benefit calculations, fund administration, and beneficiary resources. For example, the bill temporarily increases the primary insurance amount for Social Security benefits for all individuals (from 90% of a certain portion of average indexed monthly earnings to 93%). It also modifies benefit calculations for certain individuals, including by temporarily (1) increasing benefits for widows or widowers in two-income households; and (2) allowing children of a deceased, disabled, or retired worker to remain eligible for benefits through age 25 if they are full-time students. Additionally, the bill temporarily eliminates (1) the government pension offset , which reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own; and (2) the windfall elimination provision , which reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. The bill also modifies the financing and administration of the Social Security trust funds. For example, the bill (1) subjects income over $400,000 to Social Security payroll taxes, and (2) combines the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund into a single Social Security Trust Fund. Finally, the bill establishes requirements relating to Social Security services and resources, including by prohibiting the closure of field offices unless certain conditions are met (e.g., public hearings).
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2023
Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites From Foreign Adversaries Act This bill expands the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) related to agriculture and land transactions. (CFIUS reviews the national security implications of foreign investment in the United States.) Specifically, the bill requires parties to an elevated risk real estate transaction to submit a mandatory declaration to CFIUS. Generally, this requirement applies to a transaction for a purchase or lease of certain real estate (e.g., real estate that is in close proximity to a sensitive site, such as a military installation or airspace) by a foreign adversary entity (e.g., a foreign person subject to the jurisdiction of a foreign adversary, such as China or Russia). Additionally, the bill creates a presumption that an elevated risk real estate transaction presents a risk to national security that cannot be resolved through any agreement or condition unless CFIUS (1) determines, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the risk to national security of the transaction can be resolved in a manner other than by suspending or prohibiting the transaction; and (2) notifies Congress about this determination and its reasoning. The bill authorizes CFIUS to consider U.S. food security as a factor in its national security reviews. The bill also expands the membership of CFIUS to include the Secretary of Agriculture on all transactions related to the purchase of agriculture land, agriculture biotechnology, and any other transaction related to the agriculture industry in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2023
This resolution calls on the government of Venezuela to immediately release Eyvin Hernandez, a U.S. citizen and Los Angeles County public defender, from unjust imprisonment. The resolution urges the President and other U.S. government officials to continue raising the Eyvin Hernandez case to Venezuela and to press for his immediate release. The resolution also expresses support for all American citizens wrongfully detained in Venezuela.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2023
Reducing Waste in National Parks Act This bill directs the National Park Service to establish a program for the National Park System to reduce disposable plastic products and, if applicable, eliminate the sale and distribution of disposable plastic products. Each regional office of the National Park Service must eliminate the sale of water in disposable plastic products and the sale and distribution of other disposable plastic products after consideration of several specified factors (e.g., the costs and benefits to overall operations). Each regional office must develop a proactive visitor education strategy to address visitor expectations of water availability and explain the rationale for the program and its implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2023
IDEA Full Funding Act This bill provides permanent, mandatory funding for the grant program that assists states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2023
John W. Walsh Alpha-1 Home Infusion Act of 2023 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of treatment for alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (a protein deficiency that raises the risk of lung and other diseases). Specifically, the bill provides for coverage of at-home augmentation therapy for beneficiaries with emphysema as a result of severe hereditary AAT deficiency. Treatment must be provided through qualified home infusion therapy suppliers; beneficiaries must be under the care of a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2023
Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and revises the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, which provides financial assistance for projects to promote the conservation of neotropical migratory birds.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2023
Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Patient-Centered Care Act This bill prohibits payment under Medicare for a prosthesis, custom-fabricated orthosis, or off-the-shelf orthotics that is delivered via a drop shipment (i.e., shipped to an individual who does not have training in how to properly fit or care for the device). It also specifically allows for payment of replacements of custom-fitted devices.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2023
Smoke Exposure Research Act of 2023 This bill directs the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to conduct research relating to smoke exposure and wine grapes. This research must be done in coordination with land-grant colleges and universities that are located in California, Oregon, and Washington and have researched the effects of smoke exposure on viticulture and enology operations and practices. Specifically, ARS must conduct research to identify the compounds responsible for smoke exposure, conduct research to establish standard methodologies for sampling and testing smoke-exposed wine grapes and smoke-affected wines, establish a reliable database of background levels of smoke exposure compounds that occur naturally in wine grapes, develop risk assessment tools or mitigation methods to reduce or eliminate smoke exposure, and study compounds that can act as a barrier between wine grapes and smoke compounds.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2023
Monarch Action, Recovery, and Conservation of Habitat Act of 2023 or the MONARCH Act of 2023 This bill provides support for the conservation of western monarch butterflies (the monarch butterfly population that overwinters along the coast of California and breeds across California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah). Specifically, the bill establishes the Western Monarch Butterfly Rescue Fund. The Department of the Interior must use amounts in the fund to provide grants for the conservation of such butterflies and other pollinators within the range of western monarch butterflies. In addition, Interior must enter into an agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to facilitate updating and implementing the Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, which was prepared by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2023
Smoke Exposure Crop Insurance Act of 2023 This bill requires the federal crop insurance program (FCIP) to provide for the research and development of a policy to insure wine grapes (including wine grapes produced in California, Oregon, and Washington) against losses due to wildfire smoke exposure. (The term policy means an insurance policy, plan of insurance, provision of a policy or plan of insurance, and related materials.) The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, the agency that finances FCIP operations, must make any resulting policy available that meets specified FCIP requirements. The FCIP must also submit a report to Congress on the research and any resulting policy. The report must include the feasibility of a policy that allows producers to claim an indemnity through post-harvest, post-vinification testing if such testing demonstrates smoke damage that was not detectable prior to harvest.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2023
Equality Act This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity with respect to businesses, employment, housing, federally funded programs, and other settings. Specifically, the bill expands Title II and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit public accommodations and federally funded programs, respectively, from discriminating based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It also includes stores, transit services, recreational facilities, and establishments that provide health care, accounting, or legal services as public accommodations under Title II. The bill also expands Title IV (desegregation of public schools) and Title VII (employment discrimination) to specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity. (The Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII's prohibition of employment discrimination based on sex also prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.) The bill similarly expands the Fair Housing Act (discrimination in public and private housing) to include sexual orientation and gender identity. It also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity by creditors and with respect to jury selection. The bill defines sex for purposes of the aforementioned provisions to include sex stereotypes, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act of 2023 or the CONNECT for Health Act of 2023 This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Among other provisions, the bill permanently removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) and allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services; permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); and allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to generally waive coverage restrictions during any public health emergency. Additionally, the CMS must post certain information about the effects of Medicare telehealth services on its website, including information about utilization, costs, and the outcome of services. The CMS must also (1) provide resources to health care professionals about the requirements for furnishing telehealth services under Medicare, including with respect to payment, patient privacy, and support for underserved populations; and (2) ensure certain quality measures are applied to telehealth services.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
Hate Crimes Commission Act of 2023 This bill establishes the United States Commission on Hate Crimes. The commission must investigate and report on whether hate crimes have increased; factors that contributed to an increase in hate crimes, if one is determined to exist; policies or actions that law enforcement agencies might adopt to reduce the commission of hate crimes; the impact of underreporting on hate crimes statistics and prevention; ways to improve hate crimes reporting and ensure full and complete participation in the National Incident-Based Reporting System by local law enforcement agencies; bias prevention efforts and responses to hate crimes that are successful and possible through coordination with nonprofit organizations, local education agencies, and government entities; and the prevalence and rise of online hate crime incidents.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
American Dream and Promise Act of 2023 This bill provides certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) with a path to receive permanent resident status and contains other immigration-related provisions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) shall provide conditional permanent resident status for 10 years to a qualifying individual who entered the United States as a minor and (1) is deportable or inadmissible, (2) has deferred enforced departure (DED) status or temporary protected status (TPS), or (3) is the child of certain classes of nonimmigrants. The bill imposes various qualifying requirements, such as the individual being continuously physically present in the United States since January 1, 2021, passing a background check, and being enrolled in or having completed certain educational programs. DHS shall remove the conditions placed on permanent resident status granted under this bill if the alien applies and meets certain requirements, such as completing certain programs at an educational institution, serving in the military, or being employed. Furthermore, DHS and DOJ shall provide lawful permanent resident status to certain individuals who had TPS, were eligible for TPS, or were eligible for DED status on certain dates. Such individuals must meet certain requirements and apply for such status within three years of this bill's enactment. DHS may not use information from applications filed under this bill or for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status for immigration enforcement purposes. This bill also repeals a restriction that bars a state from providing higher education benefits to undocumented individuals unless those benefits are available to all U.S. nationals without regard to residency in the state.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2023
Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act This bill waives the adjusted gross income limitations for payments or benefits under specific Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance programs for a person or legal entity that derives a portion of their income from agriculture. (Currently, a person or entity is not eligible to receive certain benefits during a crop, fiscal, or program year if their average gross income exceeds $900,000.) Specifically, in the case of an excepted payment or benefit, the adjusted gross income limitation is waived if 75% or more of the average adjusted gross income for the person or entity is derived from farming, ranching, or silviculture activities. These activities include agritourism, direct-to-consumer marketing of agricultural products, and the sale of agricultural equipment owned by such person or entity. The bill applies to the USDA Livestock Indemnity Program; Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program; Tree Assistance Program; and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2023
Right to Contraception Act This bill sets out statutory protections for an individual's right to access and a health care provider's right to provide contraception and related information. Contraception refers to an action taken to prevent pregnancy, including the use of contraceptives (i.e., a device or medication used to prevent pregnancy), fertility-awareness based methods, and sterilization procedures. Generally, the bill prohibits measures that single out and impede access to contraception and related information. However, a party may defend against a claim that a measure violates the bill's prohibitions by demonstrating, through clear and convincing evidence, that the measure significantly advances the safety of contraception and cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The bill also specifies that the prohibition preempts inconsistent state and local laws and applies in spite of other federal laws, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The Department of Justice, individuals, or health care providers may bring a lawsuit to enforce this bill, and states are not immune from suits for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2023
This resolution recognizes the historical significance to the nation of Juneteenth Independence Day (commemorating the end of slavery in the United States).
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2023
Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act of 2023 This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, any qualified catastrophe mitigation payment made under a state-based catastrophe loss mitigation program. A qualified catastrophe mitigation payment means any amount received for making improvements to an individual's property for the sole purpose of reducing the damage that would be done to such property by a windstorm, earthquake, or wildfire.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2023
United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade First Agreement Implementation Act This bill expresses the approval of Congress for the June 1, 2023, agreement regarding trade between the United States and Taiwan. The bill also imposes requirements on the negotiations of certain further trade agreements between the United States and Taiwan. (The June 1, 2023, agreement, which addresses issues such as customs administration and regulatory practices, is the first of several expected agreements under the United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade.) The June 1, 2023, agreement may enter into force no earlier than 30 days after the President certifies in writing to Congress that Taiwan has taken measures necessary to comply with the agreement. The bill also imposes requirements on the negotiation of further agreements under the United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, such as requiring the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to (1) share any U.S. negotiating texts with Congress prior to sharing the text with Taiwan or any parties outside of the executive branch, (2) share any negotiating texts from Taiwan within three days of receipt, and (3) provide daily briefings to certain Members of Congress during negotiating rounds. A further agreement shall not take effect unless (1) the President, at least 60 days before entering into the further agreement, makes the text publicly available on a USTR website; and (2) a bill is enacted into law expressly approving the further agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2023
Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act This bill includes combatting the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) as a Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-priority research and extension area. The bill specifically allows grants for developing and disseminating research-based tools and treatments to combat the spotted lanternfly, which is an invasive species native to China that feeds on a wide range of crops and plants (e.g., grapes, apples, hops, walnuts, and hardwood trees). Further, the bill reauthorizes USDA grants to support competitive specialized research and extension activities, including high-priority areas, through FY2028. The bill also specifically reauthorizes through FY2028 the Pulse Crop Health Initiative; the Comprehensive Food Safety Training Network; pollinator protection research and extension grants; increased USDA capacity and infrastructure to address and conduct research on colony collapse disorder and other pollinator issues; and a USDA-conducted nationwide honey bee pest, pathogen, health, and population status surveillance program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2023
Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2023 This bill bars the Department of Agriculture from allowing the construction of roads, the reconstruction of roads, or logging in an inventoried roadless area where those activities are prohibited by the Roadless Rule (i.e., certain federal regulations relating to roadless area management).
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2023
Employer Reporting Improvement Act This bill modifies provisions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that require employers and health insurance providers to prepare tax forms showing proof of minimum essential coverage (1095-B and 1095-C tax forms). Currently, employers and health insurance providers that provide minimum essential coverage must report this information for each covered individual to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), including the covered individual's Tax Identification Number (TIN). Employers and providers must also send a copy of this information to the covered individual (through 1095-B and 1095-C tax forms) by January 31 of each year. The IRS allows for an individual's date of birth to be substituted for the individual's TIN if the TIN is not available. The IRS also allows employers and providers to offer 1095-B and 1095-C tax forms to individuals electronically. The bill provides statutory authority for these flexibilities. Additionally, under current law, large employers (generally those with 50 or more full-time employees) are subject to an assessment by the IRS if they do not offer affordable minimum essential coverage. The bill requires the IRS to give large employers at least 90 days to respond after sending its first letter about a proposed assessment (Currently, the IRS generally gives 30 days to respond.) It also establishes a six-year statute of limitations for collecting assessments.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2023
USS Frank E. Evans Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to authorize inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in the District of Columbia of the names of the 74 crew members of the USS Frank E. Evans killed on June 3, 1969.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2023
Disaster Assistance Fairness Act This bill makes common interest communities, such as housing cooperatives (co-ops) and condominiums, eligible for the same assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as other homeowners. Specifically, the bill adds definitions of residential common interest community, condominium, and housing cooperative to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; requires FEMA to issue rules for the removal of debris or wreckage from real estate owned by a residential common interest community resulting from a major disaster and deems such removal to be in the public interest when a state or local government determines in writing that such debris or wreckage constitutes a threat to life, public health or safety, or the economic recovery of such community; and provides for the repair of essential common elements of a condominium or co-op damaged by a disaster under FEMA's Federal Assistance to Individuals and Households Program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
For Accurate Import Relief To Aid Retailers and Importers of Foreign Freights Act of 2023 or the FAIR TARIFF Act of 2023 This bill provides for the liquidation or reliquidation of certain entries of products (e.g., wine, spirits, and food) of European Union countries imported into the United States during specified time periods. A request for liquidation or reliquidation must be filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A request must contain sufficient information for CBP to (1) locate the entry or, if the entry cannot be located, reconstruct the entry; and (2) verify the eligibility of the request. Further, CBP must develop and make publicly available an application process for requesting these refunds. The bill also requires the U.S. Trade Representative to provide advance notice with respect to certain increases in tariff rates.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
San Gabriel Mountains Protection Act This bill designates wilderness areas and wild and scenic rivers in California and modifies the boundaries of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in California to include additional National Forest System (NFS) land. Specifically, the monument shall include approximately 109,167 acres of additional NFS land. The bill designates parcels of NFS land as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System to create the Condor Peak Wilderness and Yerba Buena Wilderness and to add to the San Gabriel Wilderness and Sheep Mountain Wilderness. The bill designates specified wild and scenic rivers. The Department of Agriculture may issue a special use authorization to the owners of a water transport or diversion facility located on NFS land in the Pleasant View Ridge Wilderness for the continued operation, maintenance, and reconstruction of the facility if specified conditions are met.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2023 This bill provides specific statutory authority for the Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) State Educational Agency Grant Program that is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The program supports school-based mental health services, including screening, treatment, and outreach programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Access Technology Affordability Act of 202 3 This bill allows a refundable tax credit equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. Qualified access technology is hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats usable by blind individuals. The credit is limited to (1) costs that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years. The credit must be adjusted for inflation after 2024 and terminates after 2028.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Financing Our Energy Future Act This bill expands the types of partnerships that qualify for treatment as publicly traded partnerships instead of as corporations for tax purposes. Under current law, partnerships that meet certain gross income requirements (i.e., at least 90% of the partnership's gross income in a taxable year consists of qualifying income) are excepted from being treated as a corporation for tax purposes. This bill expands the sources of income that are considered qualifying income and make a partnership eligible for such an exception. Specifically, the bill provides that income derived from the generation of specified alternative energy, alternative fuel projects, or the associated property, storage, or transportation for such projects (e.g., the conversion of renewable biomass into renewable fuel or the storage or transportation of such fuel) is considered qualifying income.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2023
Kazakhstan Permanent Normal Trade Relations Act of 2023 This bill authorizes the President to extend nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Kazakhstan.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2023
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 28081 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo, California, as the "Major Megan McClung Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2023
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should ensure that the U.S. Postal Service is not privatized and remains an independent establishment of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2023
Donut Dollies Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill awards a Congressional Gold Medal to members of the Red Cross Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas (SRAO) program, also known as the Donut Dollies , who served honorably during the Vietnam conflict. The bill also authorizes the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for presenting the medals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2023
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 300 Long Beach Boulevard in Long Beach, California, as the "Alan S. Lowenthal Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2023
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 7911 Imperial Highway in Downey, California, as the "Lucille Roybal-Allard Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Bear Protection Act of 2023 This bill makes it unlawful for a person to knowingly import, export, sell, purchase, possess, transport, deliver, or receive bear viscera or related products except for limited acts carried out solely to enforce wildlife protection laws. Bear viscera means a bear's body fluids or internal organs, including the gallbladder and its contents. The term excludes a bear's blood or brains.
![Official portrait of Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_ca_5_thompson_mike_200.jpg)