United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2023
Fair Access to Banking Act This bill places restrictions on certain banks, credit unions, and payment card networks if they refuse to do business with a person who complies with the law. Restrictions include prohibiting the use of electronic funds transfer systems and lending programs, termination of an institution's depository insurance, and specified civil penalties. Banks and other specified financial institutions are allowed to deny financial services to a person only if the denial is justified by a documented failure of that person to meet quantitative, impartial, risk-based standards established in advance by the institution. This justification may not be based upon reputational risks to the institution. Banks may also deny services to a person who engaged in rude or harassing conduct toward an employee of the bank. The bill establishes the right for a person to bring a civil action for a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2023
Homeland and Cyber Threat Act or the HACT Act This bill allows claims in federal or state court against foreign states that conduct or participate in cyberattacks against U.S. nationals.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2023
American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act of 2023 This bill eliminates the five-year amortization requirement for research and experimental expenditures, thus allowing continued expensing of such expenditures in the taxable years in which they are incurred.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2023
Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2023 This bill provides continuing appropriations to the Coast Guard for pay and benefits when there is a Coast Guard-specific funding lapse. Under the bill, a Coast Guard-specific funding lapse occurs when (1) a bill providing appropriations for the Coast Guard for a fiscal year has not been enacted before the beginning of that fiscal year, and no joint resolution providing continuing appropriations for the Coast Guard is in effect; and (2) a bill providing appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) for the fiscal year has been enacted before the beginning of the fiscal year, or a joint resolution providing continuing appropriation for DOD is in effect. If a Coast Guard-specific funding lapse occurs, the bill provides appropriations to the Coast Guard for pay and allowances for military members of the Coast Guard who perform active service or inactive-duty training; pay and benefits for certain civilian employees and contract employees; the payment of a death gratuity; payments for travel related to funerals, the dignified transfer of remains, and unit memorial services; and the temporary continuation of the basic allowance for housing for dependents of members of the Coast Guard dying on active duty. The bill generally provides the appropriations to the Coast Guard until the earlier of the enactment of specified Coast Guard appropriations legislation, the termination of the availability of appropriations for DOD, or two weeks after the beginning of the Coast Guard-specific funding lapse.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2023
Investment Opportunity Expansion Act This bill expands who may be considered an accredited investor for purposes of participating in private offerings of securities. (Certain unregistered securities may only be offered to accredited investors.) Specifically, the bill allows an individual to qualify if their aggregate investment in such a securities offering is not more than 10% of the individual's net assets or 10% of the individual's annual income, whichever is greater.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2023
Improvement of Mapping, Addresses, Geography, Elevations, and Structures Act of 2023 or the IMAGES Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes through FY2029, and otherwise revises, the National Flood Mapping Program. Specifically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must (1) integrate planimetric features (i.e., nontopographic features) including parcel identification data and address information in National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rate maps (community maps delineating flood hazard areas, flood elevations, and flood risk zones applicable to flood insurance rate determination); (2) update rate maps to reflect specified timely geographic data and protocols; and (3) publish NFIP rate map data through a publicly available national geospatial data repository. FEMA must also coordinate with the United States Geological Survey to ensure maintenance of stream flow gages and award certain contracts in accordance with existing qualification procedures applicable to architectural and engineering services. The bill also allocates funds from the National Flood Insurance Fund for the creation and maintenance of NFIP rate maps.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2023
New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2023 This bill makes the new markets tax credit permanent. It also modifies the credit to (1) provide for an inflation adjustment to the limitation amount for the credit after 2023, and (2) allow an offset against the alternative minimum tax for the credit (determined with respect to qualified equity investments initially made after 2022).
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2023
Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act This bill allows for Medicare coverage and payment for multi-cancer early detection screening tests that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that are used to screen for cancer across many cancer types, if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services determines such coverage is appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2023
Farm Credit Administration Independent Authority Act This bill specifies that the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) is the sole regulator of the Farm Credit System (FCS) and establishes reporting requirements for FCS institutions. Specifically, the bill states that the FCA is the sole and independent regulator of the FCS and exempts entities that are supervised by the FCA from the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). (The bill addresses a proposed rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau [CFPB] that would implement provisions of the ECOA by requiring covered financial institutions, including FCS lenders, to collect and report to the CFPB data on credit applications for small businesses, including the principal owner's race, sex, and ethnicity.) The bill also requires FCS institutions to (1) request that loan applicants and borrowers that are small farmers disclose information identifying their race, sex, and ethnicity; and (2) annually report the collected information to the FCA. If an FCS institution customer does not voluntarily report the requested information, the FCA may not require the institution to use other means to deduce the information.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2023
Gold Standard Restoration Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to define the Federal Reserve note dollar in terms of a fixed weight of gold, based on that day's closing market price of gold. Federal Reserve Banks must exchange Federal Reserve notes with gold at this price and create processes to facilitate exchanges between banks and the public. If a Federal Reserve Bank does not do this, Treasury must make any exchange and place a corresponding lien on the assets of that bank. In addition, Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve must report on U.S. gold holdings.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2023
Hmong Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the Hmong people in recognition of their highly distinguished service in the Vietnam War and the fight against communism.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2023
Complete American Pipelines Act of 2023 This bill ends judicial review of the construction of certain natural gas pipeline projects that, prior to January 1, 2018, have been authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under the Natural Gas Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2023
This bill specifies that no FY2024 funding is authorized to be appropriated or made available for salaries and expenses of the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2023
National Plan to End Parkinson's Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a project to prevent and cure Parkinson's disease (a progressive brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements) and related conditions. Among other components of the project, HHS must (1) implement and periodically update a national plan to coordinate and guide efforts to prevent, slow the progression of, and cure the disease; and (2) improve diagnosis, treatment, and care of those with the disease. HHS must also annually assess the preparations for and response to the increased burden of Parkinson's disease. In addition, the bill establishes a council, comprised of federal and nonfederal stakeholders, to advise HHS on and make recommendations concerning the prevention and treatment of Parkinson's disease. The provisions of the bill terminate at the end of calendar year 2035.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2023
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that tax-exempt fraternal benefit societies provide critical benefits to the people and communities of the United States and their work should continue to be promoted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2023
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission Extension Act This bill extends the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission through FY2034.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the rule issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives titled Factoring Criteria for Firearms With Attached "Stabilizing Braces" and published on January 31, 2023. The rule establishes criteria for determining whether a firearm equipped with an attached stabilizing brace that facilitates shoulder fire is a rifle subject to regulation (e.g., registration) under the National Firearms Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2023
New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act of 2023 This bill allows meat and poultry products inspected by State Meat and Poultry Inspection programs to be sold in interstate commerce. Under the inspection programs, the Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service allows states that meet certain requirements to inspect meat and poultry. The state-inspected products are currently limited to intrastate commerce, unless a state opts into a separate Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2023
America Works Act of 2023 This bill expands applicability of the work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who are able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). (SNAP recipients who are ABAWDs have work-related requirements in addition to the general SNAP work registration and employment and training requirements.) Specifically, this bill applies the work requirements for ABAWDs to adults who are not over 65 years old, whereas these requirements currently apply to adults who are not over 50 years old. Further, the ABAWD exemption for a parent or household member with responsibility for a dependent child is restricted to a dependent child under the age of seven. Currently, the child must be under the age of 18. The bill also amends an ABAWD waiver program that allows state exemptions based on an area having an unemployment rate of over 10% or an insufficient number of jobs. Specifically, the bill repeals the second basis for a state exemption, which applies to areas that have an insufficient number of jobs. Under current law, a state agency may exempt up to 12% of SNAP recipients from the ABAWD work requirements for each fiscal year; unused exemptions may be carried over and used in a subsequent fiscal year. Under the bill, unused exemptions may not be carried over.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2023
Freedom To Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act This bill allows the use of funds in a qualified tuition program (commonly known as a 529 account) to pay for expenses associated with obtaining or maintaining recognized postsecondary credentials.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act This bill establishes that any convention or agreement on pandemic-related issues reached by the World Health Assembly (WHA) pursuant to a specified negotiating body shall be deemed to be a treaty requiring the advice and consent of the Senate. Specifically, this bill applies to any international instrument negotiated by the intergovernmental negotiating body established by the WHA in December 2021 to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Expanding America's National Cemetery Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs, before Arlington National Cemetery reaches capacity, to expand or otherwise modify an existing national cemetery to ensure that full military honors are provided in a specified manner. Specifically, the VA must expand or modify such a cemetery to ensure that full military honors are provided (1) in a manner consistent with the full military honors provided for interment in Arlington National Cemetery as of March 31, 2023; and (2) using the eligibility criteria in effect on March 31, 2023, for providing full military honors for interment in Arlington National Cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Taking Account of Bureaucrats' Spending Act of 2023 or the TABS Act of 2023 This bill restructures the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and renames it as the Consumer Financial Empowerment Agency. The new agency is established as an independent agency outside of the Federal Reserve System. The bill also changes the funding structure of the agency by prohibiting the transfer of funds to the agency from the Federal Reserve System and by authorizing appropriations for FY2024-2025.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Sultana Steamboat Disaster Commemorative Coin Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the Sultana steamboat explosion that occured on April 27, 1865, on the Mississippi River. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to the Sultana Historical Preservation Society for the purpose of establishing, operating, and maintaining a museum.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Protect Minors from Medical Malpractice Act of 2023 This bill makes a medical practitioner who performs a gender-transition procedure on an individual who is less than 18 years of age liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, or physiological harms from the procedure for 30 years after the individual turns 18. Additionally, if a state requires medical practitioners to perform gender-transition procedures, that state shall be ineligible for federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. Gender-transition procedures generally include certain surgeries or hormone therapies that change the body of an individual to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the individual's biological sex. They exclude, however, interventions to treat (1) individuals who either have ambiguous external biological sex characteristics or lack a normal sex chromosome structure, sex steroid hormone production, or sex steroid hormone action; (2) infections, injuries, diseases, or disorders caused by a gender-transition procedure; or (3) a physical disorder, injury, or illness that places an individual in imminent danger of death or impairment of a major bodily function.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Sunshine Protection Act of 2023 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 · 1 March 2023
Major Richard Star Act This bill provides that combat-disabled uniformed services retirees with fewer than 20 years of creditable service may concurrently receive, without reduction, veterans' disability compensation and retired pay or combat-related special compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Transparency in CFPB Cost-Benefit Analysis Act This bill sets forth information required to be included in a rulemaking made by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Specifically, the CFPB must publish a justification of the proposed rulemaking; a quantitative and qualitative assessment of all anticipated direct and indirect costs and benefits; alternatives to the proposed rulemaking; impacts on small businesses; and any assumptions, data, or studies used in preparing this information.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
No Retaining Every Gun In a System That Restricts Your Rights Act This bill modifies the retention requirements for firearm transaction records of federal firearms licensees (FFLs) that go out of business. Current law generally requires FFLs that go out of business to deliver their firearm transaction records to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This bill removes the requirement for FFLs that go out of business to deliver their firearm transaction records to the ATF. Further, the bill requires the ATF to destroy all out-of-business records it has collected from FFLs.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
This bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from providing certain funding related to abortion services. Specifically, the bill prohibits DOD from paying or reimbursing any fees or expenses for a health care professional (who provides health care at a military medical treatment facility) to gain a license in a state if the purpose of gaining the license is to provide abortion services. The bill also repeals the DOD memorandum titled Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care (October 20, 2022). Such memo sets forth DOD policies and procedures in response to the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization . Under the bill, DOD may not obligate or expend funds to carry out the memo or any successor memo.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Parents Bill of Rights Act This bill establishes various rights of parents and guardians regarding the elementary or secondary school education of their children. Local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools must comply with the requirements of the bill in order to receive federal education funds. Specifically, the bill requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights regarding the education of their children. These rights include the right to review the curriculum of their child's school; know if the state alters its challenging academic standards; meet with each teacher of their child at least twice each school year; review the budget, including all revenues and expenditures, of their child's school; review a list of the books and other reading materials in the library of their child's school; address the school board of the LEA; receive information about violent activity in their child's school; and receive information about any plans to eliminate gifted and talented programs in the child's school. Additionally, the bill directs each LEA to post on a publicly accessible website (or otherwise widely disseminate to the public) the curriculum for each elementary and secondary school grade level. The LEA must also include in its annual report card the overall budget of the LEA and the budget for each elementary and secondary school. The bill also provides for additional family educational and privacy rights, including by prohibiting schools from selling student information for commercial or financial gain.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 202 3 This bill establishes restrictions and requirements for checkoff programs, which are programs overseen by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote and provide research and information for a particular agricultural commodity without reference to specific producers or brands. The bill prohibits boards established to carry out a checkoff program or a USDA order issued under a checkoff program from entering into a contract or agreement to carry out program activities with a party that engages in activities to influence any government policy or action that relates to agriculture. A board or its employees or agents acting in their official capacity may not engage in any act that may involve a conflict of interest; anticompetitive activity; unfair or deceptive act or practice; or act that may be disparaging to, or in any way negatively portray, another agricultural commodity or product. Upon approval of USDA, a board may enter directly into contracts and agreements to carry out generic promotion, research, or other activities authorized by law if the agreement or contract requires records accounting for the funds received to be submitted to the board. The board must meet specified requirements regarding the publication of budgets and disbursements of funds. The USDA Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office must conduct specified audits regarding checkoff programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2023
Fair and Open Competition Act or the FOCA Act This bill prohibits federal construction contracts or controlling documents for federally supported construction projects from requiring or prohibiting project labor agreements. Such documents also may not discriminate against or give preference to a bidder or contractor who signs or refuses to sign a project labor agreement. An agency may exempt a project from this prohibition to avert an imminent threat to public health or safety or to serve the national security.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2023
Resident Education Deferred Interest Act or the REDI Act This bill allows borrowers in medical or dental internships or residency programs to defer student loan payments until the completion of their programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2023
National Right-to-Work Act This bill repeals those provisions of the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act that permit employers to make an agreement with a labor union to require employees to join such union as a condition of employment. Currently, at least 27 states have enacted laws prohibiting employers from compelling employees to become members of a union as a condition of employment.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2023
This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideas of move over laws. It also urges relevant federal and state agencies, as well as nongovernmental organizations involved in traffic incident management response to spread awareness and promote the existence of, and adherence to, state move over laws. Move over laws generally require motorists to move at least one lane over when an emergency or rescue activity is taking place on the shoulder or side of the roadway, or, if unable to do so safely, to slow down and pass the scene with caution.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2023
Denying Earnings to the Military Oligarchy in Cuba and Restricting Activities of the Cuban Intelligence Apparatus Act or the DEMOCRACIA Act This bill provides for asset- and visa-blocking sanctions for conduct relating to Cuba. It also establishes an interagency task force to facilitate access to uncensored internet in Cuba. The President must sanction foreign persons that provide financial support to specified Cuban government sectors (e.g., the defense sector) or any other government sector that the President certifies is involved in human rights abuses or terrorism. This includes foreign persons that (1) are military contractors or mercenaries operating on behalf of the Cuban government, or (2) violate laws restricting trade with Cuba. Specified transactions, including remittances to immediate family members (subject to some limitations) and payments related to U.S. military and diplomatic sites, are not subject to these sanctions. The President must also sanction (1) foreign persons complicit or engaged in human rights abuses or corruption, (2) foreign persons supporting such conduct, and (3) specified Cuban government officials and their affiliates. The bill provides humanitarian exceptions to these sanctions, for example, donating food or agricultural commodities to organizations or individuals unaffiliated with the Cuban government. The President may not license sanctionable conduct, and U.S. persons seeking to engage in a permitted transaction must submit a written request to the Office of Foreign Asset Control of the Department of the Treasury. The President may waive the sanctions in the interest of U.S. national security. To terminate the sanctions, the President must certify that the Cuban government has legalized all political activities and taken other steps to promote political rights and freedoms. Congress must then enact a joint resolution approving the termination.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2023
Debbie Smith Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes through FY2029 the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program. The program provides grants to state and local governments to improve and expand the collection and analysis of DNA evidence, including evidence in sexual assault kits.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2023
250th Anniversary of the United States Marine Corps Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the 250th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and shall only be used for the purposes of supporting the mission of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2023
Women's Public Health and Safety Act This bill allows a state to exclude from participation in the state's Medicaid program a provider that performs an abortion, unless (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or (2) the woman suffers from a physical issue that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed. Under current law, a state plan for medical assistance must provide that any individual eligible for medical assistance may obtain required services from any provider qualified to perform them.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2023
Security And Fairness Enhancement for America Act of 2023 or the SAFE for America Act of 2023 This bill eliminates the diversity immigrant program, which makes immigrant visas available to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2023
This resolution celebrates the 75th anniversary of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and commemorates NASCAR's contributions to the U.S. economy and society.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2023
Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to Dustoff crews (helicopter air ambulance crews) of the Vietnam War in recognition of their heroic military service.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2023
Second Chance at Life Act of 2023 This bill requires abortion providers to disclose information about the possibility of reversing a medication abortion. This is a procedure that uses a medication regimen to terminate a pregnancy, typically with a two-drug protocol. Providers must inform patients that it may be possible to reverse the effects of a medication abortion after taking the first drug. They must also let patients know that more information and assistance is available on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website. At least 24 hours before the procedure, the provider must share this information with the patient in person or by telephone. The provider must also include the information in written discharge instructions after the first drug is dispensed. The bill sets out an exception to these notification requirements when an abortion is necessary to resolve a physical injury or condition that threatens the life of the woman. The provider must document the circumstances giving rise to the exception in the patient's medical file. Furthermore, providers must post signs with this information in their offices or facilities, and HHS must maintain information about reversing medication abortions on its website.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2023
Prime Minister Golda Meir Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of Golda Meir, former Prime Minister of Israel, and the 75th anniversary of the United States-Israel relationship. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to the American Friends of Kiryat Sanz Laniado Hospital Inc.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2023
TCJA Permanency Act This bill makes permanent provisions affecting individual and business taxpayers that were enacted in 2017 by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. The bill makes permanent reductions in individual and capital gain tax rates. The bill increases the standard tax deduction for individual taxpayers. It also increases and modifies the child tax credit and raises the contribution base for the tax deduction for charitable contributions. The bill allows additional contributions to ABLE accounts (tax-exempt accounts designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save and pay for disability-related expenses). It exempts from taxation combat zone benefits of members of the Armed Forces serving in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and limits the deduction for moving expenses to active duty members of the Armed Forces. Additionally, the bill expands the types of elementary and secondary school expenses eligible for payment from qualified tuition programs (529 programs); lowers to $750,000 the amount of mortgage debt eligible for an interest expense tax deduction; reinstates after 2024 the exclusion of income from the gross income of student loan borrowers for loan debt discharged due to death or total and permanent disability; makes permanent the limitation on the tax deduction for state and local taxes and denies a deduction for foreign real property taxes; makes permanent the tax deduction of the income of certain pass-through business entities; repeals the tax deduction for personal tax exemptions and the exclusion of employer-provided bicycle commuter fringe benefits; terminates certain miscellaneous itemized tax deductions; doubles the estate and gift tax exemption amount; and makes permanent the increase of the alternative minimum tax exemption amount for individual taxpayers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2023
Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, certain broadband grants made for broadband deployment.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2023
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor rule concerning the fiduciary duties with respect to employee benefit plans. Under the rule issued on December 1, 2022, plan fiduciaries may consider climate change and other environmental, social, and governance factors when they make investment decisions and when they exercise shareholder rights, including voting on shareholder resolutions and board nominations.