United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2025
Fix Our Forests Act This bill establishes requirements for managing forests on federal land, including requirements concerning reducing wildfire threats, expediting the review of certain forest management projects, and implementing forest management projects and other activities. Specifically, the bill (1) designates certain firesheds at high risk for wildfires as fireshed management areas; (2) directs the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey to jointly establish an interagency Fireshed Center that is responsible for duties related to assessing and predicting fire, including maintaining a fireshed registry on a publicly accessible website that provides interactive geospatial data on individual firesheds; and (3) makes other requirements related to reducing wildfire. Next, the bill expedites the review of certain forest management projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and exempts certain activities from NEPA review. It also establishes intra-agency strike teams to accelerate the review and any interagency consultation processes under NEPA, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the National Historic Preservation Act. It also limits consultation requirements concerning threatened and endangered species under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 and the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976. Finally, it limits litigation involving fireshed management projects and limits remedies that courts may provide. Additionally, the bill supports reducing community wildfire risks, carrying out forest restoration and stewardship activities (including watershed protection and restoration), conducting biochar demonstration projects, advancing technologies to address forest wildfires, and assisting wildland firefighters and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2025
Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of Congressional Gold Medals to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team in recognition of the team's achievement at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to contract for and place a statue of Benjamin Franklin in the Capitol. The committee shall place the statue in a permanent public location where it is accessible during a guided tour provided by the Capitol Visitor Center. The contract must be executed by December 31, 2025, and the statue must be placed by December 31, 2026.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2025
National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act. [ sic ] This bill temporarily directs the Department of the Interior to award a grant to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for the expenses associated with operating and enhancing the community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs of the National Law Enforcement Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2025
Constitutional 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 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 · 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
Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act or the HALT Fentanyl Act This bill permanently places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. Under the bill, offenses involving fentanyl-related substances are triggered by the same quantity thresholds and subject to the same penalties as offenses involving fentanyl analogues (e.g., offenses involving 100 grams or more trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term). Additionally, the bill establishes a new, alternative registration process for certain schedule I research. The bill also makes several other changes to registration requirements for conducting research with controlled substances, including permitting a single registration for related research sites in certain circumstances, waiving the requirement for a new inspection in certain situations, and allowing a registered researcher to perform certain manufacturing activities with small quantities of a substance without obtaining a manufacturing registration. Finally, the bill expresses the sense that Congress agrees with the interpretation of Controlled Substances Act in United States v. McCray , a 2018 case decided by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. In that case, the court held that butyryl fentanyl, a controlled substance, can be considered an analogue of fentanyl even though, under the Controlled Substances Act, the term controlled substance analogue specifically excludes a controlled substance.
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
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal and receipts derived from borrowing. The amendment requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit. It prohibits a bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless it has been approved by a majority roll call vote of each chamber. The amendment also requires the President to submit an annual budget in which total outlays do not exceed total receipts. Congress may waive these requirements due to a declaration of war or a military conflict that causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2024
Undersea Cable Security and Protection Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish an interagency working group to assess and report on the protection of commercial undersea telecommunications cables and associated landing stations in the United States. The working group shall consider threats posed by China, Iran, Russia, and other nations of concern, as well as risks posed by natural causes and accidental damage. The working group shall report on efforts by DHS and the Federal Communications Commission to protect undersea cables and landing stations and the roles and responsibilities of the private sector in securing undersea cables and landing stations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2024
This resolution supports the designation of National Dyslexia Awareness Month and calls on Congress, schools, and educational agencies to recognize that dyslexia has significant educational implications that must be addressed.
United States · United States Congress · 23 August 2024
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to brief Congress on any instance of an attempted breach of a military installation under DOD’s jurisdiction during the period beginning on January 1, 2021, and ending on the date of the provision of such briefing. Each briefing must include a statement of the applicable immigration status and citizenship status of each perpetrator of an attempted breach.
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 · 30 July 2024
This resolution urges the United States to take immediate action to secure global nuclear energy leadership, encourages the United States to promptly expand the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain to eliminate foreign adversarial dependence, and recommends that the United States quickly take appropriate actions to increase the number of new nuclear reactors domestically.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2024
This concurrent resolution authorizes the Capitol Visitor Center to be used on September 24, 2024, for a ceremony as part of the unveiling of the statue of Johnny Cash, provided by the State of Arkansas.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2024
Focus on Learning Act This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to take certain actions related to mobile devices in elementary and secondary schools. First, the bill directs ED, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, to study and report on the use of mobile devices in elementary and secondary schools nationwide. Among other elements, this study must include the impact of mobile device use on student learning and academic achievement, student educational outcomes, and student mental health. Second, ED must establish a pilot program to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to enable participating schools served by such LEAs to purchase secure containers and install lockers in order to create a school environment free of mobile devices.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hill, J. French [R-AR-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001072_200.jpg)