United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2023
Assuring that Robust, Thorough, and Informed Congressional Leadership is Exercised Over National Emergencies Act or the ARTICLE ONE Act This bill terminates a presidential declaration of a national emergency after 30 days if Congress does not pass a joint resolution approving the declaration. Currently, such a declaration may continue until Congress passes a joint resolution disapproving the declaration. The bill requires the President to transmit to Congress, with any proclamation declaring a national emergency or executive order specifying emergency powers or authorities or renewing a national emergency, a written report that includes a description of the circumstances necessitating the declaration, renewal, or use of a new emergency authority specified in the executive order; the estimated duration of the emergency, or a statement that the duration cannot reasonably be estimated; a summary of the actions the President or other officers intend to take and the statutory authorities they expect to rely on in addressing the emergency; and in the case of a renewal of the emergency, a summary of the actions the President or other officers have taken in the preceding one-year period to address the emergency. The bill requires periodic reports on the status of emergencies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2023
Passport Sanity Act This bill prohibits the Department of State from issuing a passport, passport card, or Consular Report of Birth Abroad with an unspecified (X) gender designation. The State Department must also ensure that applications for such documents include only male and female gender designations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2023
This resolution declares that the life of each human person begins at fertilization and calls upon Congress to enact legislation to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection for unborn children nationwide.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2023
This bill prohibits the use of Department of Defense funds or facilities for hosting, advertising, or otherwise supporting an adult cabaret performance (i.e., a performance that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, or male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to prurient interest).
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the final rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau titled Small Business Lending under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B) and published on May 31, 2023. The rule requires financial institutions to collect and report to the bureau credit application data for small businesses. On July 31, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ordered the bureau not to implement or enforce the rule until a related pending case is resolved.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2023
Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act or the SHIP Act This bill requires the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against foreign persons that knowingly transport, process, refine, or otherwise deal in petroleum and petroleum products originating in Iran. These sanctions also extend to certain foreign persons associated with the sanctioned individual, such as adult family members and any entities owned or controlled by the sanctioned individual.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2023
Federal Employee Student Debt Transparency Act This bill requires certain executive branch employees to disclose their federal student loan debt in an annual report. The bill's requirement applies to an employee serving in a Senior Executive Service position or a position of a confidential or policy-determining nature (i.e., a Schedule C position). Covered employees must file a report detailing the principal and interest owed on loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, the Federal Family Education Loan Program, and the Federal Perkins Loan Program. The bill also requires the Office of Government Ethics to submit an annual report to Congress that contains (1) the total amount owed by all covered employees, and (2) the name of any covered employee who failed to report the required information.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Digital Dollar Pilot Prevention Act This bill prohibits the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Reserve banks from establishing, carrying out, or approving a program to test the feasibility of issuing a central bank digital currency.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
United Nations Voting Accountability Act of 2023 This bill prohibits giving assistance, such as various types of economic support or military training, to countries that shared U.S. positions on less than 50% of the recorded votes in the most recent United Nations session. A country may be exempted if there has been a fundamental change in the country's leadership and policies and the Department of State determines that the country will no longer oppose U.S. positions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Biden Time Act of 2023 This bill rescinds certain unobligated funds that were provided to address COVID-19 and for activities of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Specifically, the bill rescinds unobligated funds that were provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act); the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; and Divisions M and N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The bill also rescinds specified unobligated funds that were provided for activities of the IRS by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2023
Protecting Federal Funds from Human Trafficking and Smuggling Act of 2023 This bill prohibits a nonprofit entity from receiving federal funds (and denies a tax exemption) unless the entity certifies compliance with certain federal laws (e.g., laws with respect to human trafficking and smuggling). The bill also establishes reporting requirements, including that the Government Accountability Office must annually report to Congress on those nonprofit entities that do not certify their compliance with these laws. Finally, the bill removes the provision of federal law that exempts nonprofit charitable organizations that provide federal public benefits from having to verify the eligibility of program participants.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2023
No ESG at TSP Act This bill prohibits investments under the Thrift Savings Plan in mutual funds that are based on environmental criteria (e.g., emissions standards), social criteria (e.g., company diversity), political criteria (e.g., political affiliations), or corporate governance criteria that differ from the standards that currently apply under law.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
This resolution impeaches President Biden for high crimes and misdemeanors for allowing aliens to enter the United States in violation of the immigration laws and for related offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Reinstate Our Troops Act This bill addresses the reinstatement of members of the Armed Forces who requested an exemption from an order to receive a COVID-19 vaccination and were involuntarily separated solely on the basis of the refusal to receive such vaccination. Specifically, at the election of the separated individual, the bill requires the military department concerned to reinstate the individual, in the same rank and grade the individual held at the time of separation. An individual must elect to be reinstated within the one-year period following the enactment of this bill. Additionally, such individuals (enlisted members and officers) are not required to repay a bonus for failure to complete a period of service solely because such service was incomplete due to the exemption request and involuntary separation. The military department concerned must return a bonus repaid by an individual if the individual elects to be reinstated. If an individual does not elect reinstatement, the military department concerned must ensure the discharge of the individual is characterized as honorable. The military department concerned must also expunge from an individual's military service record any reference to adverse action related to the refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
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 · 16 May 2023
Mission not Emissions Act This bill prohibits any requirement for recipients of federal contracts to (1) disclose greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk, (2) report on greenhouse gas emissions, or (3) develop and submit greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for validation by nongovernmental organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Protecting Children From Experimentation Act of 2023 This bill establishes a new federal criminal offense for health care professionals who perform or provide referrals for gender transition procedures on minors. A physical or mental health care professional who performs or provides a referral for a gender transition procedure on a minor is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. The bill authorizes civil remedies for a minor who undergoes a gender transition procedure. A minor who undergoes a gender transition procedure may not be arrested or prosecuted for an offense under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Preventing Executive Climate Overreach Act This bill nullifies Executive Order 14096, which was issued on April 26, 2023, to advance environmental justice.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Fentanyl Trafficker Elimination Act This bill increases the term of imprisonment for drug trafficking offenses involving large quantities of fentanyl or fentanyl analogues. Specifically, the bill requires life imprisonment for illegally importing or exporting, or illegally manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense, 400 grams or more of fentanyl or 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, regardless of prior offenses or if death or serious bodily injury occurs. (Currently, such offenses carry a minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for a first offense; penalties increase with subsequent offenses or if death or serious bodily injury occurs.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the final rule submitted by the Department of Labor titled Rescission of Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause's Religious Exemption Rule . This rule, which became effective March 31, 2023, rescinded a rule that became effective January 8, 2021. The rule that became effective in 2021 expanded the religious exemption to the prohibition on federal contractors and subcontractors discriminating in employment decisions based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or other factors.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2023
Veterans Health Care Freedom Act This bill requires the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a three-year pilot program to improve the ability of veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system to access hospital care, medical services, and extended care services through the covered care system by providing such veterans with the ability to choose health care providers. Under the bill, the covered care system includes VA medical facilities, health care providers participating in the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP), and eligible entities or providers that have entered into a Veterans Care Agreement. A veteran participating in the program may elect to receive care at any provider in the covered care system. The pilot program removes certain requirements (e.g., location of the veteran) to access care at VA and non-VA facilities. After four years, the bill permanently phases out the requirements for accessing care under the VCCP and Veterans Care Agreements and requires the VA to provide such care under the same conditions of the pilot program. Additionally, after four years, veterans may receive care at a VA medical facility regardless of whether the facility is in the same Veterans Integrated Service Network as the veteran.
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 · 2 May 2023
Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-wheelers Act or the DRIVE Act This bill prohibits the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from issuing any rule or regulation to require vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight of more than 26,000 pounds and are operating in interstate commerce to be equipped with a speed limiting device set to a maximum speed. The FMCSA issued an advance notice of supplemental proposed rulemaking on this subject on May 4, 2022.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2023
Responsible Borrower Protection Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) from implementing their January 2023-announced changes to the single-family pricing framework for fees on purchase, rate-term refinance, and cash-out refinance loans. The changes revise the fee charts that provide percentage adjustments based on a borrower's credit score and other factors.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2023
Preventing Hospital Overbilling of Medicare Act This bill repeals certain exceptions to site-neutral payments with respect to Medicare payments to an off-campus outpatient department of a health care provider. It also requires providers to use separate, unique health identifiers when submitting a claim to a health insurance issuer for services provided at an off-campus outpatient department.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2023
Restoring Rights of Physicians to Own Hospitals Act This bill repeals provisions under the Stark law (i.e., the Physician Self-Referral Law) that require rural providers and physician-owned hospitals to meet certain additional criteria in order to be excepted under the Stark law. Specifically, the bill repeals provisions that require hospitals to meet the following criteria: the hospital had physician ownership or investment and a Medicare provider agreement as of December 31, 2010; the hospital does not expand the number of operating rooms, procedure rooms, or beds beyond the number in existence as of March 23, 2010, with limited exceptions; the hospital discloses certain information regarding physician ownership and investments to patients, the public, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; the hospital does not offer certain financial opportunities, and the percentage of ownership or investments does not exceed that in effect as of March 23, 2010; the hospital discloses certain information to patients relating to the availability of physicians and makes alternative arrangements when necessary; and the hospital was not converted from an ambulatory surgical center on or after March 23, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2023
Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act or the PRIME Act This bill exempts from federal inspection requirements animals and meats that are slaughtered and prepared at custom animal slaughter facilities for distribution within the state. Under current law, a custom slaughter exemption applies if the meat is slaughtered exclusively for personal, household, guest, or employee uses. Specifically, the bill expands the federal inspection exemption to include the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products that are slaughtered and prepared at a custom slaughter facility in accordance with the laws of the state where the facility is located; and prepared exclusively for distribution to household consumers in the state or restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments in the state that either prepare meals served directly to consumers or offer meat and food products for sale directly to consumers in the state. The bill does not preempt any state law concerning (1) the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products at a custom slaughter facility; or (2) the sale of meat or meat food products.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2023
Border Reinforcement Act of 2023 This bill requires certain actions related to border security and addresses related issues. For example, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume all activities related to constructing a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border that were underway or planned prior to January 20, 2021; requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to submit a strategic five-year technology investment plan to Congress; requires CBP to maintain an active duty presence of at least 22,000 full-time equivalent Border Patrol agents by September 30, 2025; provides statutory authorization for Operation Stonegarden, a program which provides grants to law enforcement agencies involved with certain CBP operations; prohibits DHS from processing the entry of non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) arriving in between ports of entry; prohibits the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from accepting as proof of identification certain documents, such as a warrant issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or an employment authorization issued by DHS; prohibits DHS from issuing any COVID-19 vaccine mandate unless expressly authorized by Congress or taking any adverse action against an employee based solely on the employee's refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccine; limits the use of the CBP One mobile application or a similar program to only for inspecting perishable cargo; and requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report to Congress on the costs incurred by states in support of the federal mission to secure the southwest border and the feasibility of reimbursing states for such costs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2023
Eliminating the RFS and Its Destructive Outcomes Act This bill repeals the Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard program, which requires transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2023
Employee Rights Act This bill generally addresses employer obligations related to unionized workplaces. This bill provides that an employer may be considered a joint employer in relation to an employee under federal labor law only if such employer directly, actually, and immediately (and not in a limited and routine manner) exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment. Such control may by demonstrated by hiring and discharging employees, determining individual employee rates of pay and benefits, day-to-day supervision of employees, assigning individual work schedules, positions, and tasks, and administering employee discipline. The bill also requires a workplace election to approve or reject a union to be conducted by secret ballot. Further, the bill requires an employer to provide limited employee information to union representatives to facilitate a workplace election. An employer that mishandles or fails to provide such information according to the bill's requirements may be liable for an unfair labor practice (i.e., labor law violation). Additionally, the bill requires an employee to authorize in writing any use of the employee's labor organization dues or other contribution for a purpose other than collective bargaining or contract administration. Such authorization must be made upon 35 days' notice and expires after one year. Finally, the bill exempts Indian Tribes, including Indian Tribe enterprises and institutions, from the collective bargaining rights and related provisions of federal labor law.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2023
Work Not Woke Act This bill prohibits certain training that includes race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating. Specifically, the uniformed services shall not teach, instruct, or train any member of the services to believe any concepts that include race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating. Government contracting agencies must include in each government contract provisions stating that the contractor shall not use any workplace training that inculcates any form of race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating. The Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must establish a hotline and investigate complaints alleging that a federal contractor is utilizing such training programs in violation of the contractor's obligations. All federal agencies must review their grant programs and identify programs for which the agency may, as a condition of receiving a grant, require the recipient to certify that it will not use federal funds to promote certain concepts that include race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating. The bill requires the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget to take specified actions regarding review of agency training. The Department of Justice should continue to assess the extent to which workplace training that teaches race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating may contribute to a hostile work environment and give rise to potential liability under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The bill prohibits obligating or expending federal funds to carry out specified executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2023
Accountability for Lawless Violence In our Neighborhoods Act or the ALVIN Act This bill specifies that no federal funding is authorized to be awarded or made available to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency rule relating to Control of Air Pollution From New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards (88 Fed. Reg. 4296) and published on January 24, 2023. The rule modifies emission standards to reduce air pollution, including ozone and particulate matter, from heavy-duty engines and vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2023
Defund China's Allies Act This bill prohibits providing U.S. foreign assistance, including humanitarian assistance and security assistance, to certain countries that do not have full diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The countries barred from foreign assistance by the bill are Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Cuba, Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Solomon Islands, and Kiribati. The prohibition shall be lifted the earlier of (1) 30 days after the President certifies to Congress that the country has resumed or established full diplomatic relations with Taiwan, or (2) 10 years after the date of the bill's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the final rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau titled Small Business Lending under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B) and published on May 31, 2023. The rule requires financial institutions to collect and report to the bureau credit application data for small businesses. On July 31, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ordered the bureau not to implement or enforce the rule until a related pending case is resolved.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2023
Pausing Enhanced Pandemic Pathogen Research Act of 2023 This bill generally prohibits the National Institutes of Health from conducting or supporting gain-of-function research through March 30, 2028. The bill defines gain-of-function research as any research that could enhance the transmissibility, virulence, or pathogenicity of any pathogen or non-pathogen agent in a way that could lead to (1) moderate or high transmissibility, virulence, or pathogenicity in human populations; (2) significant morbidity or mortality in humans; or (3) severe threats to public health or U.S. national security. The prohibition does not apply to the characterization or testing of naturally occurring influenza virus or coronavirus unless the characterization or testing could increase viral pathogenicity or transmissibility.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the rule issued by the Department of Education on October 12, 2022, that suspends federal student loan payments and discharges debt.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2023
LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, California. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of the coins shall be promptly paid by Treasury to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Properties for the objects and purposes related to the hosting of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to aid in the execution of its legacy programs, including the promotion of youth sports in the United States. Treasury is encouraged to develop and execute a marketing and educational program to promote and sell the coins.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2023
Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order Act or the EL CHAPO Act This bill requires the forfeited profits of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera (El Chapo) from his illicit drug trafficking enterprise to be reserved for border security measures between the United States and Mexico, including the completion of a wall. Additionally, it requires the forfeited funds from the felony conviction of a member of a drug cartel to be reserved for border security measures between the United States and Mexico, including the completion of a wall.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2023
Healthcare Freedom Act of 2023 This bill expands the availability of health savings accounts. It renames such accounts as health freedom accounts and allows all individuals to receive increased tax deductions for contributions to such accounts. The term qualified medical expenses is expanded to include costs associated with direct primary care, health care sharing ministries, and medical cost sharing organizations. The bill also excludes employer contributions to health freedom accounts from employee gross income for income tax purposes. This exclusion applies to employees hired on or after the fifth year after the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2023
NIH Reform Act This bill separates the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) into three separate institutes: the National Institute of Allergic Diseases, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Immunologic Diseases. The bill also requires that the President appoint the directors of the new institutes (under current law, the Director of NIAID is appointed by the Director of the National Institutes of Health). It further requires that the Senate confirm the appointment of the directors of the new institutes and the National Cancer Institute.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2023
Tribal Firearm Access Act This bill allows members of federally recognized Indian tribes to use their valid identification documents issued by tribal governments to obtain a firearm from a federally licensed dealer.