United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2025 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete, within 12 months, an audit of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks. In addition, the bill allows the GAO to audit the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks with respect to (1) international financial transactions; (2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters; (3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; and (4) discussions or communications among Federal Reserve officers, board members, and employees regarding any of these matters.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must provide in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. Specifically, a health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as would reasonably be provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. Additionally, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with the degree-of-care requirements must immediately report such failure to law enforcement. A health care practitioner who fails to provide the required degree of care, or a health care practitioner or other employee who fails to report such failure, is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. An individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive under this bill and allows her to bring a civil action against a health care practitioner or other employee for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
FairTax Act of 2025 This bill replaces federal income, payroll, estate, and gift taxes with a federal sales tax beginning in 2027 and eliminates the Internal Revenue Service. The bill establishes a 23% tax-inclusive (30% tax-exclusive) federal sales tax rate on taxable property and services to be administered primarily by each state. The federal sales tax rate is adjusted annually beginning in 2028 so that it is the sum of the general revenue rate (14.91%); old-age, survivors and disability insurance rate; and hospital insurance rate. The bill includes exemptions for property or services purchased for business, investment, and certain state government functions. Registered, qualified families may receive a monthly sales tax rebate in the amount of the monthly federal poverty level (or twice such amount for married individuals) multiplied by the federal sales tax rate. Each family member must have a Social Security number and be a lawful resident of the United States. Federal sales tax revenues are allocated to general revenue, the Social Security trust funds, and the Medicare trust funds. (Special allocation rules apply for 2027.) The bill eliminates appropriations for the Internal Revenue Service after FY2029 and establishes an Excise Tax Bureau and a Sales Tax Bureau within the Department of the Treasury. Finally, the bill terminates the federal sales tax if the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution (authorizing a federal income tax) is not repealed within seven years from the date the bill is enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 This bill makes daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time. States with areas exempt from daylight saving time may choose the standard time for those areas.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Firearm Industry Non-Discrimination Act or the FIND Act This bill prohibits the federal government from entering into contracts with an entity that discriminates against firearm trade associations or businesses that deal in firearms, ammunition, or related products. Specifically, the bill requires a federal agency to include in each contract for the procurement of goods or services awarded by the agency a clause requiring the prime contractor to certify that it (1) has no policy, practice, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association; and (2) will not adopt a policy, practice, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association during the term of the contract. The bill establishes (1) a similar requirement with respect to subcontracts, and (2) penalties for violations. The bill makes such prohibition inapplicable to a contract for the procurement of goods or services that is a sole-source contract.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Freedom for Families Act This bill allows individuals to establish and contribute to a health savings account (HSA) without being enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), increases HSA contribution limits, and allows tax-free distributions from an HSA during a period of qualified caregiving. Under current law, individuals may establish and contribute to an HSA if they are covered under an HSA-eligible HDHP. For 2025, HSA contributions are limited to $4,300 for self-only coverage or $8,550 for family coverage (adjusted annually). Individuals who are at least 55 years old may make an additional HSA contribution of up to $1,000 per year. Further, under current law, HSA distributions are tax-free if used to pay for qualified medical expenses. The bill eliminates the HDHP coverage requirement for purposes of an HSA. The bill also increases the HSA annual contribution limit to $9,000 for individuals or $18,000 for joint filers (adjusted annually) and eliminates the additional contribution for individuals who are at least 55 years old. Finally, the bill excludes HSA distributions during a period of qualified caregiving from gross income. The bill defines period of qualified caregiving as any period during which an individual is on leave or not employed due to the birth or adoption of a child; placement of a foster child; caring for a family member with a serious health condition; an inability to work due to a serious health condition; or certain emergencies related to a spouse, child, or parent on covered active duty with the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Ultrasound Informed Consent Act This bill requires abortion providers to conduct an ultrasound before performing an abortion. Specifically, before a woman gives informed consent to any part of an abortion, the abortion provider must perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman; provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting; display the ultrasound images so the woman may view them; and provide a complete medical description of the images, including the dimensions of the embryo or fetus, cardiac activity if present and visible, and the presence of external members and internal organs if present and viewable. Providers are subject to civil actions and penalties for violations. The bill's ultrasound requirements do not apply in cases where a physical disorder, illness, or injury endangers a woman's life. A woman is also not required to view the ultrasound images; nor may she or the provider be penalized if she declines to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship. Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship. Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources. Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters. The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 This bill generally prohibits school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls. Specifically, the bill provides that it is a violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for federally funded education programs or activities to operate, sponsor, or facilitate athletic programs or activities that allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls. (Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities, including in public elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities.) Under the bill, sex is based on an individual's reproductive biology and genetics at birth. The bill does not prohibit male individuals from training or practicing with programs or activities for women or girls as long as such training or practice does not deprive any female of corresponding opportunities or benefits. The Government Accountability Office must report on the benefits for women or girls in single-sex sports that would be lost as a result of male participation. In particular, the report must document the negative psychological, developmental, participatory, and sociological effects of male participation on girls.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2024
This bill repeals the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA). The ICA generally limits the authority of the President to impound (i.e., withhold from obligation or expenditure) funds that have been appropriated by Congress and establishes related procedures. It also establishes expedited legislative procedures that Congress may use to consider legislation to enact rescissions proposed by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2024
End the Vaccine Carveout Act This bill removes liability protections for manufacturers and administrators for vaccine-related injuries, and removes limitations on bringing civil actions for vaccine-related injuries or seeking compensation, under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). It also excludes COVID-19 vaccines from liability protections under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP). Under current law, the VICP provides compensation for alleged injuries caused by certain routinely administered vaccines. Individuals generally may not file a civil action in court unless a VICP claim is filed and the resulting judgement is rejected. The VICP also limits the types of claims and amount of damages that may be sought (e.g., no liability for unavoidable side effects or failure to directly warn), and it imposes deadlines for filing claims. The bill removes the requirement to first file a claim under the VICP before pursuing a civil action, so individuals alleging vaccine-related injuries may choose to either bring a civil action or utilize the VICP. It also removes the restrictions on the types of civil actions and damages. The bill also removes the deadlines for filing claims under the VICP and applies this change retroactively. Additionally, under current law, the CICP provides compensation for alleged injuries caused by certain medical countermeasures during public health emergencies, including COVID-19 vaccines. The bill excludes COVID-19 vaccines from being considered as medical countermeasures. Therefore, under the bill, individuals may file civil actions against manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines rather than filing claims under the CICP.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2024
Federal Improvement in Technology Procurement Act or the FIT Procurement Act This bill addresses various issues related to federal procurement policy and the federal acquisition workforce. For example, the bill requires the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) to establish a pilot program to consider incorporating experiential learning into the Federal Credentials Program, the Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting Officer’s Representative Program, and the Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers Program; FAI to provide information and communications technology acquisition training for certain acquisition workforce members; the General Services Administration to assume responsibility from the Office of Management and Budget for developing and implementing an artificial intelligence training program for certain acquisition workforce members; the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) to issue guidance to increase competition among eligible firms, including specifying means to validate non-government past performance references and using evaluation methods other than past performance when appropriate; and the OFPP to implement regulatory and other non-legislative actions, based on input from the Chief Acquisition Officers Council and the public, to remove barriers to entry for small businesses seeking to participate in federal government procurement. The bill also increases the simplified acquisition threshold from $250,000 to $500,000 and the micro purchase threshold from $10,000 to $25,000. (The federal government uses less complex procedures for the purchase of property and services valued below the simplified acquisition threshold. Purchases below the micro purchase threshold generally do not require soliciting competitive quotations if the contracting officer considers the price to be reasonable.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2024
Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act of 2024 This bill prohibits states or localities from imposing a levy or collecting an excise tax on the sale of a firearm, ammunition, or any part or component thereof, by a manufacture or retailer.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2024
This resolution expresses the sense that the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump must be universally condemned. It also expresses the sense that the only appropriate place to settle political disputes is at the ballot box.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2024
This resolution directs the Department of Homeland Security to provide the House of Representatives with certain documents and information about the July 13, 2024, attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump, such as those relating to U.S. Secret Service protection for former President Trump’s campaign in Butler, Pennsylvania.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2024
This resolution recognizes the life of Corey Comperatore and his service to the United States. The resolution also condemns all forms of political violence.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2024
Universal Savings Account Act of 2024 This bill creates a new tax-exempt savings account to be known as a Universal Savings Account (USA). The bill allows eligible taxpayers to open an account and contribute up to $10,000 (adjusted for inflation) to an account each year. Contributions must be in cash and the allowable amount of contributions is subject to a phaseout based upon the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income. Distributions from a USA are excludible from gross income, for income tax purposes, and may be transferred to a taxpayer's spouse or child upon the death of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2024
This joint resolution nullifies the final rule issued by the Department of Education titled Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance and published on April 29, 2024. The final rule addresses Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities. Among other elements, the rule establishes certain definitions related to sex-based harassment and establishes additional requirements for grievance procedures.