United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2024
No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities Act This bill limits the indirect costs that are allowable under federal research awards to institutions of higher education (IHEs) with endowments above specified thresholds. (Generally, indirect costs represent expenses that are not specific to a research project but are needed to maintain the infrastructure and administrative support for federally funded research.) Specifically, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) must annually collect information regarding the endowments of each IHE that has entered into a program participation agreement with the Department of Education. With this collected information, NCES must identify and make lists of (1) each IHE with an endowment of more than $5 billion, and (2) each IHE with an endowment of more than $2 billion (but not more than $5 billion). NCES must submit these lists to the Office of Management and Budget, which must then distribute the lists to federal agencies, Congress, and the public. The bill establishes the following limits on the indirect costs allowable under federal research awards: for an IHE with an endowment of more than $5 billion, the IHE is prohibited from using these awards for indirect costs; for an IHE with an endowment of more than $2 billion (but not more than $5 billion), the IHE is limited to an indirect cost rate of 8%; and for all other IHEs, an indirect cost rate of 15%. The Government Accountability Office must annually report to Congress on indirect cost reimbursement on federal research awards for IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2024
Stop the Baseline Bloat Act of 2024 This bill changes the assumptions that the Congressional Budget Office uses to calculate the baseline for discretionary spending. (A baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during a fiscal year under current law.) Specifically, the bill changes the assumptions used for the discretionary spending baseline to exclude (1) resources designated as an emergency requirement, and (2) resources provided in supplemental appropriations laws.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2024
Ammunition Supply Chain Act This bill requires the Department of the Army to report to Congress on the U.S. supply chain for smokeless gunpowder, including nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and acid production, essential to ammunition manufacturing.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2024
Safeguarding American Workers' Benefits Act This bill modifies identification requirements for taxpayers claiming the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit. Such taxpayers must provide Social Security account numbers for themselves and for dependent children who have not attained age 17.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2024
Securing American Agriculture Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to assess, on an annual basis, U.S. dependency on critical agricultural products or inputs that could be exploited in the event that China weaponizes such a dependency. USDA must submit a report to Congress on the assessment, which must include recommendations to reduce U.S. dependency on China to supply critical agricultural products or inputs. Under the bill, critical inputs include all farm management, agronomic, and field-applied production inputs (e.g., agricultural equipment, fertilizers, veterinary drugs, and seed). The bill specifies that, in conducting the assessment, USDA may not require a private entity to provide information to USDA. Further, the bill requires USDA to comply with certain confidentiality requirements and restricts disclosures of the information.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2024
One Agency Act This bill consolidates federal antitrust enforcement authority in one department by transferring the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) antitrust functions, employees, assets, and funding to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The bill provides a one-year period for DOJ to implement the transition and allows DOJ to extend the period once for an additional 180 days. During the transition period, DOJ may restructure the department's antitrust division and deputize FTC antitrust employees to investigate and prosecute antitrust violations on behalf of DOJ prior to the completion of the transfer of personnel from the FTC to DOJ. DOJ is also authorized to require businesses to file annual or special reports about the business’s organization, conduct, practices, management, and relationship to other businesses filing such reports.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2024
This joint resolution nullifies the final rule issued by the Department of Labor titled Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act and published on January 10, 2024. The final rule addresses how to determine whether a worker is properly classified as an employee or an independent contractor for purposes of requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that address issues such as minimum wage and overtime compensation. The rights and protections provided by the FLSA apply only to employees.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2024
Food Traceability Enhancement Act This bill modifies requirements relating to recordkeeping and traceability of foods that may cause outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Specifically, the bill reduces the maximum time for which food manufacturers or processors must retain records of high-risk foods (i.e., those that are prone to causing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses) from two years to one year. It also specifies that recordkeeping requirements for high-risk foods may not require restaurants, retail food establishments, or related warehouses to keep or share information about traceability lot codes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must conduct pilot projects with members of the retail food industry to evaluate the effectiveness of investigations of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses without using traceability lot codes, as well as the feasibility of using low-cost food tracing technologies. The bill also specifies that the FDA's rule titled Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods , which was published on November 21, 2022, may not be implemented until two years after the pilot projects are completed (the rule establishes the recordkeeping requirements for manufacturers or processors of high-risk foods, which include keeping and sharing traceability lot codes). The FDA must also report on any barriers that prevent the FDA from sharing information with the retail food industry about investigations into outbreaks of foodborne illnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2024
Laken Riley Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U. S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement. Under this bill, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted for, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a decision to release a non-U. S. national from custody; failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews; failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country; violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2024
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1285 Emancipation Highway in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as the "Gladys P. Todd Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2024
Protect America’s Lands Act This bill prohibits national securities exchanges from allowing the trade of securities issued by natural asset companies. Natural asset companies are companies that oversee land for conservation, restoration, or for the sustainable management of the natural resources and ecosystem services on that land.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2024
FIFA World Cup 2026 Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of the coins shall be promptly paid by Treasury to FWC2026 US, Inc. (the U.S.-incorporated FIFA subsidiary operating the FIFA Men's World Cup 2026) for the purpose of aiding soccer programs and activities in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2024
Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act This bill prohibits payment card networks from using merchant codes that distinguish firearms retailers from other retailers. The Department of Justice must enforce this bill and report annually on the resulting investigations and cases.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2024
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 29 Franklin Street in Petersburg, Virginia, as the "John Mercer Langston Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2024
This resolution supports the designation of National FFA Week. It also (1) recognizes the important role of the National FFA Organization (Future Farmers of America) in developing the next generation of globally conscious leaders who will change the world; and (2) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Give the Gift of Blue program, which has donated more than 17,000 FFA blue jackets to FFA members in need.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2024
Send Us Budget Materials and International Tactics In Time Act or the SUBMIT IT Act This bill prohibits the leadership of Congress from inviting the President to deliver a State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress until the President has transmitted, and Congress has received, the National Security Strategy and the President’s budget for the subsequent fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2024
This joint resolution nullifies the Department of Treasury's rule titled Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds , which was issued on November 20, 2023. The rule relates to the use of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), which were initially authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to help state and local governments respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Current regulations allow for the use of funds for authorized purposes by December 31, 2026, if such funds are obligated for expenditure by December 31, 2024. The rule modifies the definition of an obligation to include satisfaction of administrative or legal requirements that are associated with the SLFRF program, such as reporting, audit, or environmental compliance requirements. Funds for these purposes are considered to be obligated by the required deadline of December 31, 2024. Estimated amounts of such obligations must be reported to Treasury by April 30, 2024, and the funds must still be used by December 31, 2026.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2024
Think Tank and Nonprofit Foreign Influence Disclosure Act This bill requires tax-exempt charitable organizations to disclose in annual reports contributions and gifts exceeding $50,000 received from foreign governments and foreign political parties. The reports must disclose the names of such governments and political parties and the aggregate amounts of contributions and gifts. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to make publicly available in a searchable database information relating to such gifts and contributions received from foreign governments and political parties and the aggregate amount received in each year from the the People's Republic of China, and (stated separately) from the Chinese Communist Party.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2024
This resolution expresses support for the designation of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and RHI (repeated head impacts) Awareness Day. CTE is a brain condition thought to be related to repeated head injuries.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2024
Equal Representation Act This bill requires any questionnaire used in the decennial census to include a checkbox or other similar option for respondents to indicate whether the respondent and each household member is (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) a U.S. national but not a citizen, (3) a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) lawfully residing in the United States, or (4) a non-U.S. national unlawfully residing in the United States. The Department of Commerce must make public the number of persons in each state, disaggregated by each of these four categories. The bill also requires that the statement sent by the President to Congress indicating the number of persons in each state (related to the reapportionment of U.S. Representatives) exclude noncitizens.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2024
Restricting Administration Zealots from Obliging Raiders Act or the RAZOR Act This bill prohibits the federal government from removing or altering a barrier, fence, barbed wire, or obstacle constructed by a state on the U.S. border for the purpose of preventing unlawful crossings.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2024
Unborn Child Support Act This bill requires states to apply child support obligations to the time period during pregnancy. This requirement is applicable retroactively based on a court order at the request of the pregnant parent and a determination by a physician of the month during which the child was conceived. Existing state requirements are applicable to these obligations, such as proof of parenthood.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2024
Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act This bill specifies that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is authorized to obtain data from executive branch agencies with or without a written agreement if CBO maintains the same level of confidentiality that is required of the agency that provides the data. The bill also requires CBO to submit a report to Congress regarding requests for information from executive branch agencies and any challenges it faced in accessing the information.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2024
Death Tax Repeal Act This bill repeals the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes. It also sets forth conforming amendments related to the gift tax.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2024
This resolution calls on the Taliban to immediately release Ryan Corbett (an American citizen wrongfully detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan on August 10, 2022) and all other American detainees. The resolution also (1) urges the Taliban to respect Ryan Corbett's fundamental human rights and provide full, unfettered, and consistent health and welfare visits; and (2) condemns the Taliban’s practice of hostage-taking.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2024
This resolution condemns acts of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war, including those acts committed by Hamas on and since October 7, 2023. The resolution also calls on all nations to criminalize rape and sexual assault and hold accountable all perpetrators of sexual violence, including state and non-state armed groups.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2024
Debt-to-GDP Transparency and Stabilization Act This bill requires the President's annual budget and congressional budget resolutions to include the ratio of the public debt to the estimated gross domestic product.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2023
This resolution expresses the sense that the United States should not promote policies that would discourage fossil fuels. The resolution also condemns the final agreement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and urges the Biden Administration not to implement policies reflective of that agreement.
![Official portrait of Rep. Cline, Ben [R-VA-6]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/69825a92eb30d32718993747_200.jpg)