United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from transmitting certain information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) utilized by licensed importers or dealers of firearms. Specifically, the bill prohibits the VA from transmitting personally identifying information of a veteran or a beneficiary to the NICS solely on the basis that such veteran or beneficiary has an appointed fiduciary to manage their benefits, unless there is an order or finding of a judicial authority that such veteran or beneficiary is a danger to themselves or others.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023 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.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
This resolution demands that the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China (CPC) immediately release Mark Swidan. The resolution also condemns the Chinese government and the CPC for denying Swidan access to U.S. diplomats and independent and competent medical care. Swidan is a U.S. citizen who was convicted of drug-related charges in China and sentenced to death. A U.N. working group on arbitrary detention considers Swidan's detention arbitrary and in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
Feral Swine Act This bill extends through FY2028 the feral swine eradication and control pilot program to respond to the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, native ecosystems, and human and animal health.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
Reimbursing Border Communities Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to make grants to certain border communities for expenses related to security measures along the southern border. Specifically, the local government of a community is eligible for a grant if it is located within 200 miles of the border and is not a sanctuary jurisdiction as defined by the bill. Additionally, no grant may be used to reimburse nonprofit organizations, fund legal representation, or provide educational, housing, food, or health care resources to a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law).
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
Supply Chain Disruptions Relief Act This bill modifies the treatment of liquidations of new motor vehicle inventory as qualified LIFO (last in first out accounting method) inventory. It allows new motor vehicle dealers to elect to wait until the end of 2025 to replace their inventory for purposes of determining income attributable to the sale of such inventory during 2020 and 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
State Border Security Reimbursement Act of 2023 This bill requires the federal government to reimburse eligible states for their border security expenses. To be eligible, a state must have expended more than $2.5 billion on border security and enforcement in the 10 years before this bill's enactment. If such a state provides by a certain deadline an accounting of all of its nonfederally funded border security expenses, the federal government must reimburse the full amount.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2023
Block Grant Assistance Act of 2023 This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide as block grants to states and territories certain funding available to assist agricultural producers with losses due to droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze, smoke exposure, and excessive moisture occurring in calendar year 2022.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2023
Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2023 This bill bars the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture from prohibiting or regulating the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal land or water that is under the jurisdiction of such departments and made available for hunting or fishing. The bill makes exceptions for specified existing regulations and where the applicable department determines that a decline in wildlife population at the specific unit of federal land or water is primarily caused by the use of lead in ammunition or tackle, based on the field data from such unit, and the state approves the regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2023
Stop the Cartels Act This bill addresses various issues including matters relating to immigration, law enforcement cooperation with Mexico, and drug cartels. The bill bars federal financial assistance for state or local jurisdictions that (1) restrict compliance with immigration detainers issued by the Department of Homeland Security, or (2) have any law or policy that violates immigration laws. Furthermore, under this bill, the detention of alien minors must be governed by specified sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act and not any judicial decree or settlement. (A 1997 settlement agreement imposes requirements related to the treatment of such minors, including limits on how long they may be detained under certain conditions.) The bill also makes various changes to asylum applications, including by (1) increasing the burden that an asylum applicant must meet to establish a credible fear of persecution, and (2) establishing refugee application and processing centers in Central America. In addition, certain Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development assistance may not be made available to Mexico's government until the State Department certifies that Mexico has removed certain barriers to law enforcement cooperation and intelligence sharing between the United States and Mexico. The bill also establishes the foreign Special Transnational Criminal Organization designation and establishes penalties related to designated organizations, such as making it a crime to knowingly provide material support to such an organization. The State Department must designate specified organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, with the designation, and may designate other organizations that fit criteria established in this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2023
Anti-Border Corruption Improvement Act This bill revises the waiver authority of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for polygraph examinations of applicants for law enforcement positions in the CBP. Any individual who receives such waiver and holds a current background investigation may be subject to further background investigation. The CBP may administer a polygraph examination to an applicant for employment or an employee who is eligible for a waiver if information is discovered prior to the completion of a background investigation that makes necessary a final determination regarding suitability for employment or continued employment.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2023
Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons Act or the HEAL Act This bill directs the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to study and report on Holocaust education efforts in states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and public elementary and secondary schools. Among other elements, the study must (1) determine whether states and LEAs require Holocaust education as part of the curriculum taught in public elementary and secondary schools, (2) identify the standards and requirements relating to Holocaust education, and (3) identify the types of instructional material used to teach students about the Holocaust.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2023
Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act This bill expedites payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and eligibility for Medicare coverage for those with metastatic breast cancer (i.e., breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body). Specifically, the bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits and the subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals with metastatic breast cancer. Under current law, individuals generally must wait 5 months after the onset of disability to begin receiving SSDI benefits and an additional 24 months to become eligible for Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2023
Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act of 2023 This bill requires additional reporting regarding the domestic and foreign financial activity of specified Chinese officials. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of the Treasury, upon a determination by the President that a threat to the interests of the United States exists resulting from actions by China, to (1) report to Congress on funds held by certain members of the Chinese Communist Party, including the total amount of funds, a description of the funds, and a list of related financial institutions; and (2) brief Congress on how these funds were acquired and any illicit or corrupt means employed to acquire or use the funds. The bill also allows Treasury to prohibit significant transactions between U.S. financial institutions and these individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2023
Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to 60 diplomats posthumously in recognition of their brave and vital service of saving Jews during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2023
Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act of 2023 This bill requires actions to support Taiwan's participation in the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The U.S. Governor of the IMF must advocate for (1) Taiwan's admission into the IMF as a member, (2) Taiwan's participation in the IMF's regular surveillance activities relating to Taiwan's economic and financial policies, (3) employment opportunities at the IMF for Taiwan nationals, and (4) Taiwan's ability to receive IMF technical assistance and training.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2023
21st Century Dollar Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to establish a strategy to facilitate the position of the dollar as the primary global reserve currency. Treasury must submit a report that includes (1) steps taken to implement this strategy, legislative recommendations, and efforts by major foreign central banks to create an official digital currency; and (2) an evaluation of the role of the renminbi (the official currency of China) in international payments and foreign exchange reserves.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2023
Educational Choice for Children Act This bill allows individuals and corporations a new tax credit after 2023 for charitable contributions to tax-exempt organizations that provide scholarships to elementary and secondary school students. Such students must be members of a household with incomes not greater 300% of the area median gross income and be eligible to enroll in a public elementary or secondary school. The bill excludes from the gross income of taxpayer dependents any scholarship amount for the elementary or secondary education expenses of eligible students. It also prohibits governmental control over scholarship granting organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2023
Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act This bill extends the customs waters territory of the United States. Under current law, customs waters means waters within four leagues of the coast of the United States. This bill revises the definition to include (1) the territorial sea of the United States to the limits permitted by international law in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 5928, dated December 27, 1988, that extended such limits to 12 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States; and (2) the contiguous zone of the United States to the limits permitted by international law in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 7219, dated September 2, 1999, that extended such limits to 24 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2023
ATF Accountability Act of 2023 This bill establishes a federal statutory process for licensed gun dealers, importers, or manufacturers to appeal a ruling or determination by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2023
Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act or the FARM Act This bill places the Secretary of Agriculture on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. It also requires the committee to review any investment that could result in foreign control of any U.S. agricultural business. Further, the bill includes agricultural systems and supply chains in the definitions of critical infrastructure and critical technologies for the purposes of reviewing such investments. The Department of Agriculture and the Government Accountability Office must each analyze and report on foreign influence in the U.S. agricultural industry.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2023
Securing American Families and Enterprises from People's Republic of China Investments Act or the SAFE from PRC Investments Act This bill requires certain issuers of securities and funds traded on an exchange to report on connections to China or the Communist Party of China. In particular, an issuer with specified connections to China must annually disclose a variety of details, including whether executive-level employees, senior directors, or board members are members of the Communist Party of China; interactions with the party; expenditures in China; expenditures in the United States regarding operations and lobbying activities; and the ability of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to audit the issuer. Additionally, an exchange-traded fund that invests in a Chinese company must annually disclose about that company ownership information, party involvement, whether the company participates in specified Chinese policies or activities, any ties to U.S.-sanctioned individuals, and the types of products or services produced by the company.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2023
Natural Gas Tax Repeal Act This bill eliminates a program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that provides incentives for petroleum and natural gas systems to reduce their emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases. It also repeals a charge on methane emissions from specific types of facilities that are required to report their greenhouse gas emissions to the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2023
Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to train its employees on how to effectively detect and assist law enforcement in detecting human trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2023
Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2023 This bill restricts research that uses human fetal tissue from an induced abortion. Specifically, it prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from conducting or supporting such research. Additionally, the bill applies requirements on the research of transplantation of fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes to research on fetal tissue in general. The bill also prohibits soliciting or acquiring a donation of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion, other than for purposes of an autopsy or burial.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2023
Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the award of federal funds to an institution of higher education (IHE) that hosts or is affiliated with a school-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to its students or to employees of the IHE or the site. An IHE that hosts or is affiliated with a site must, in order to remain eligible for federal funds, annually certify that the site does not provide abortion drugs or abortions to students or employees.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2023
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 620 East Pecan Boulevard in McAllen, Texas, as the "Agent Raul H. Gonzalez Jr. Memorial Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2023
This resolution declares that every state within the United States has the sovereign right to exclude any person who does not have the right to be there. It also declares that the states along the southern border (1) are being invaded by terrorists, narco-terrorist cartels, and criminal actors; and (2) have the sovereign and unilateral authority to defend themselves against such an invasion.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2023
No User Fees for Gun Owners Act This bill prohibits a state or local government from imposing any insurance requirement, tax, user fee, or similar charge as a condition of the manufacture importation, acquisition, transfer, or continued ownership of a firearm or ammunition, with the exception of a proportionate sales tax. The bill imposes the same prohibition under the Internal Revenue Code for firearms, pistols, or revolvers, but allows for the assessment of a proportionate sales tax.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2023
Standardizing Thresholds Of Penalties for Fentanyl Act or the STOP Fentanyl Act This bill reduces the drug quantity thresholds that trigger a mandatory minimum prison term for a defendant who manufactures, distributes, imports, exports, or possesses with intent to distribute fentanyl. The bill also creates enhanced criminal penalties for certain violations involving fentanyl that was imported along the U.S.-Mexico border. Specifically, the bill reduces from 400 to 5 grams the fentanyl quantity and from 100 to 0.05 grams the fentanyl analogue quantity that trigger a mandatory minimum prison term for high-level first-time or repeat offenders. It also reduces from 40 to 0.5 grams the fentanyl quantity and from 10 to 0.005 grams the fentanyl analogue quantity that trigger a mandatory minimum prison term for low-level first-time or repeat offenders. Additionally, the bill creates enhanced mandatory minimum prison terms for importing or exporting fentanyl that was imported along the U.S.-Mexico border.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2023
Authorization for the Use of Military Force to Combat, Attack, Resist, Target, Eliminate, and Limit Influence Resolution or the AUMF CARTEL Influence Resolution This joint resolution authorizes the President to use the Armed Forces against foreign nations, foreign organizations, or foreign persons affiliated with foreign organizations that the President determines are involved in trafficking fentanyl or fentanyl-related substances into the United States. The joint resolution also authorizes the use of force against those determined to have used force or violence in specified ways, such as engaging in violence or intimidation to control territory to be used for illicit means. The joint resolution deems nine named cartels as having met the criteria for the President to use force against them. Force authorized by this joint resolution may only be used against organizations and persons located outside of the United States. The authority expires five years after the date of this joint resolution's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2023
Securing America's Land from Foreign Interference Act This bill requires the President to take actions as necessary to prohibit members of the Chinese Communist Party (and entities owned, controlled, or influenced by the party) from purchasing real estate located in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2023
Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 20 23 This bill revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking. Specifically, the bill establishes a congressional approval process for a major rule. A major rule may only take effect if Congress approves of the rule. A major rule is a rule that has resulted in or is likely to result in (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises. The bill generally preserves the current congressional review process for a nonmajor rule.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2023
Vaccine Discharge Parity Act This bill ensures that members of the Armed Forces who were granted a general discharge under honorable conditions (on the sole basis that the members failed to obey a lawful order to receive a vaccine for COVID-19) are eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty and Post-9/11 GI Bill programs. The bill also extends certain loan fee rates through March 1, 2031, under the VA's home loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2023
Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to prohibit the export or sale of petroleum products (e.g., crude oil) from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to (1) China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran; (2) any other country the government of which is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States; and (3) any entity owned, controlled, or influenced by such countries or the Chinese Communist Party. However, DOE may issue a waiver of the prohibition if the export or sale of petroleum products is in the national security interests of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2023
Curriculum Review of Teachings Transparency Act or the CRT Transparency Act This bill requires a local educational agency, in order to receive certain federal education grants, to post on a publicly accessible website the curriculum for each grade level of its elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2023
Terminate TikTok on Campus Act of 2023 This bill prohibits an institution of higher education (IHE) from receiving federal funds unless the IHE takes certain actions to ban the use of the social media video application TikTok. Specifically, the IHE must develop and implement standards and guidelines (1) prohibiting the use of TikTok on electronic devices owned or issued by the IHE, and (2) requiring the removal of TikTok from these devices. The bill includes an exception for research that (1) is conducted, supervised, or authorized by an IHE's faculty; and (2) pertains to national security, law enforcement, telecommunications, or cybersecurity.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. These changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2023.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
Hearing Protection Act This bill removes silencers from the definition of firearms for purposes of the National Firearms Act. It also treats persons acquiring or possessing a firearm silencer as meeting any registration and licensing requirements of such Act. The Department of Justice must destroy certain records relating to the registration, transfer, or making of a silencer. The bill also revises the definitions of firearm silencer and firearm muffler under the federal criminal code and includes such items in the 10% excise tax category.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment limiting Representatives to three terms and Senators to two terms. Terms beginning before the ratification of this amendment do not count towards these term limits.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
VA Same-Day Scheduling Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that when a veteran enrolled in the VA health care system contacts the VA by telephone to schedule an appointment for care or services at a VA facility, the scheduling for the appointment occurs during that telephone call.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
Permitting for Mining Needs Act of 2023 This bill expedites the review of mining projects on federal lands and limits judicial review of mining projects. For example, the bill expands the federal permitting and review processes under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for critical minerals. Under the act, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service, to the maximum extent practicable, must complete the federal permitting and review processes related to critical mineral mines on federal lands with maximum efficiency and effectiveness. This bill expands this process to include all minerals as defined by the bill, not only critical minerals. The bill also establishes deadlines for completing the review of mining projects under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. In addition, the bill also expands the meaning of covered projects under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to include (1) certain mineral production projects, and (2) certain actions taken by the Department of Defense. Such projects qualify for expedited environmental review. It also establishes requirements to expedite the review or authorization of certain mineral projects, such as (1) mineral exploration activities with a surface disturbance of no more than five acres of public lands, (2) ancillary mining activities, and (3) uranium projects. Finally, the bill limits judicial review of a permit, license, or approval issued by a lead agency for a mining project by requiring the filing of claims within a certain time period.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
Security First Act This bill reauthorizes the Operation Stonegarden program from FY2024 through FY2027 and addresses other border security issues. (Operation Stonegarden provides grants to enhance the border security capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments.) From FY2024 through FY2027, the money from unreported monetary instruments seized from individuals crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and transferred into the Department of the Treasury general fund shall be made available without further appropriation to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund Operation Stonegarden. DHS must report to Congress on (1) DHS hiring practices from 2018 to 2021, and (2) whether certain Mexican drug cartels meet the criteria to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. DHS must also periodically report to Congress about the technology needed to secure the U.S.-Mexico land border.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
Border Safety and Security Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend the entry of any non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) without valid entry documents during any period when DHS cannot detain such an individual or return the individual to a foreign country contiguous to the United States. A state may sue DHS to enforce this requirement. (Under current law, non-U.S. nationals who arrive at the border without entry documents are generally subject to expedited removal. However, if such an individual is found to have a credible fear of persecution, they are typically subject to detention while their asylum claim is being considered.) The bill also authorizes DHS to suspend the entry of non-U.S. nationals without entry documents at the border if DHS determines that such a suspension is necessary to achieve operational control over such a border.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
This concurrent resolution condemns recent attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches and calls on the current presidential administration to use appropriate law enforcement authorities to support their safety.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act This bill establishes a federal statutory framework to regulate the carry or possession of concealed firearms across state lines. Specifically, an individual who is eligible to carry a concealed firearm in one state may carry or possess a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. It sets forth requirements for the lawful concealed carry across state lines. The bill preempts most state and local laws related to concealed carry and establishes a private right of action for a person adversely affected by interference with a concealed-carry right established by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2023
Thin Blue Line Act This bill expands the list of statutory aggravating factors in death penalty determinations to also include killing or targeting a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder.
![Official portrait of Rep. De La Cruz, Monica [R-TX-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/66d9fd54f440bf1dc174fbf6_200.jpg)