United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2023 This bill requires certain issuers of securities to disclose the racial, ethnic, and gender composition of their boards of directors and executive officers, as well as the status of any of those directors and officers as a veteran. It also requires the disclosure of any plan to promote racial, ethnic, and gender diversity among these groups. The Securities and Exchange Commission must establish a Diversity Advisory Group to report on strategies to increase gender, racial, and ethnic diversity among board members.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
Medicare Dental Benefit Act of 2023 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of dental and oral health services, including routine diagnostic and preventive services, basic and major dental services, and emergency care; dental prostheses are also covered. Currently, such services are excluded from Medicare coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration Act of 2023 or the LIFT the BAR Act of 2023 This bill repeals certain limits on the eligibility of noncitizens who lawfully reside in the United States for federal means-tested programs, including Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), programs funded through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grants, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and certain nutrition and housing programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
Reproductive Health Care Training Act of 2023 This bill establishes a grant program that supports training for providers of abortion care. Specifically, the Health Resources and Services Administration must award grants to health professional schools, academic health centers, or other nonprofit health care safety net providers to support training in abortion care, if such training is authorized in the state in which they are located. Funds may be used to train students, residents, and advanced practice clinicians in abortion care and to connect them to appropriate entities to provide such care, among other activities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
Small Business Lending Disclosure Act of 2023 This bill applies specified consumer lending protections to small business lending and extends the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's regulatory authority regarding consumer financial products and services to include small business financing. Among other requirements, lenders offering financial products to small businesses must disclose the terms of the financing upon extending an offer and are prohibited from charging certain additional fees on a refinanced or modified loan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2023
Import Security and Fairness Act This bill excludes imported articles from nonmarket economy countries or countries on the priority watch list from receiving de minimis treatment. De minimis treatment allows imported articles valued under $800 to enter the United States without paying duties or taxes. The bill also directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect additional information on merchandise that may qualify for de minimis treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2023
Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2023 This bill expands the earned income tax credit and makes the child tax credit fully refundable. The bill increases and makes permanent the earned income tax credit for taxpayers with no qualifying children and expands age limits for credit eligibility (currently, taxpayers must be at least 25 years of age and not older than 65). It lowers the age baseline of 25 years to 19 years and eliminates the 65 age limit). The bill increases the child tax credit amount and provides for monthly advance payments of such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2023
All-American Flag Act This bill prohibits agencies from using funds to procure a U.S. flag unless such flag has been manufactured in the United States from materials that have been U.S. grown, produced, or manufactured. The bill specifies exceptions to this prohibition, including an exception if flags of satisfactory quality and sufficient quantity cannot be procured as needed at market prices. Each manufacturer of a U.S. flag shall maintain records related to such flags marketed by the manufacturer for a five-year period demonstrating that articles, materials, and supplies used for the flags have been grown or 100% produced or manufactured in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2023
Right to Contraception Act This bill sets out statutory protections for an individual's right to access and a health care provider's right to provide contraception and related information. Contraception refers to an action taken to prevent pregnancy, including the use of contraceptives (i.e., a device or medication used to prevent pregnancy), fertility-awareness based methods, and sterilization procedures. Generally, the bill prohibits measures that single out and impede access to contraception and related information. However, a party may defend against a claim that a measure violates the bill's prohibitions by demonstrating, through clear and convincing evidence, that the measure significantly advances the safety of contraception and cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The bill also specifies that the prohibition preempts inconsistent state and local laws and applies in spite of other federal laws, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The Department of Justice, individuals, or health care providers may bring a lawsuit to enforce this bill, and states are not immune from suits for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2023
Opportunities for Non-developed Sites to Have Opportunities to be Rehabilitated for Economic Development Act of 2023 or the ONSHORE Act of 2023 This bill establishes the Critical Supply Chain Site Development grant program within the Department of Commerce to develop or expand industrial sites and promote foreign direct investments in industries of strategic importance, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas. Grants may be used for construction of on-site utility infrastructure, investments in site readiness such as zoning and environmental reviews, and job training and retraining programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2023
Airline Safety Information and Entertainment Access Act This bill requires air carriers (including foreign carriers) to ensure equal access to airline information and entertainment programming for all airline passengers regardless of their disabilities. Specifically, the bill requires an air carrier to provide or make available for persons with disabilities open captioning and an American Sign Language (ASL) option when the information and programming are available to passengers through shared video displays, closed captioning and an ASL option when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays, and audio descriptions when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual or shared video displays. An air carrier must also provide any aural public address announcement in textual format through individual or shared video displays. Further, an air carrier must ensure all control systems for video displays, applications (apps) for personal devices, web portals, and websites for passengers have the option to allow a person with a disability to operate the item nonvisually. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (the Access Board) must set forth the minimum technical criteria for individual video displays, apps for personal devices, web portals, and websites for airline passengers to ensure that they include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to operate them nonvisually. The Department of Transportation must issue any necessary regulations. A civil action may be brought by an aggrieved person or the Department of Justice in a U.S. District Court against an air carrier for violations of these requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2023
Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2023 This bill establishes the Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence. Among other things, the advisory council must assess the needs of victims of gun violence and disseminate information about helpful resources.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2023
Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative to prioritize certain loans and grants that address childcare in agricultural and rural communities. Under the bill, childcare includes eligible programs that provide quality care and early education for young children who are in kindergarten or have not yet entered kindergarten. Under the initiative, USDA must give priority to applicants that propose to use certain loans or grants to address the availability, quality, or costs of childcare in an agricultural or rural community. In addition, USDA must prioritize communities in farming-dependent counties and ensure a balanced geographical distribution of the benefits. USDA must conduct a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the projects carried out under the initiative and submit a report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2023
Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act This bill addresses unfair trade practices by making various changes to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty law. Antidumping provides relief to U.S industries and workers that are materially injured or threatened with injury due to imports of like products sold in the U.S. market at less than fair value, while countervailing duty provides such relief from imports of products subsidized by a foreign government or public entity. Specifically, the bill establishes a process for successive antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Successive investigations may be concurrent (an ongoing investigation of the same product) or recently completed (not more than two years before the date of the initiation of the successive investigation). Further, the bill establishes a time line for the Department of Commerce to issue determinations in successive investigations. Among other provisions, the bill authorizes Commerce to apply countervailing duty law to subsidies provided by a foreign government or public entity to a company operating in a third country, use another method for calculating the cost of production in specific circumstances, and require importers to provide a certification that the imported merchandise is not subject to an antidumping or countervailing duty order. Additionally, the bill statutorily establishes procedures for Commerce to conduct circumvention inquiries, including by specifying the deadlines for preliminary and final determinations. The bill also provides statutory authority for Commerce to investigate currency undervaluation as a countervailable subsidy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2023
LGBTQ I+ Data Inclusion Act This bill addresses federal data collection of voluntary, self-disclosed information on sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations in sex characteristics. Specifically, the bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey for statistical purposes that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to review existing data sets to determine which data sets do not include information about sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations in sex characteristics. Such agencies must assess needed changes in survey methods related to asking questions on such matters. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations in sex characteristics. Agencies may waive this publication requirement on a case-by-case basis if the confidentiality of the information cannot be maintained or if adding such information to the survey would impair the agency's ability to preserve the utility, accuracy, or objectivity of the survey while also generating relevant evidence about the LGBTQI+ community. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the implementation of this bill's requirements by agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2023
Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act This bill includes combatting the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) as a Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-priority research and extension area. The bill specifically allows grants for developing and disseminating research-based tools and treatments to combat the spotted lanternfly, which is an invasive species native to China that feeds on a wide range of crops and plants (e.g., grapes, apples, hops, walnuts, and hardwood trees). Further, the bill reauthorizes USDA grants to support competitive specialized research and extension activities, including high-priority areas, through FY2028. The bill also specifically reauthorizes through FY2028 the Pulse Crop Health Initiative; the Comprehensive Food Safety Training Network; pollinator protection research and extension grants; increased USDA capacity and infrastructure to address and conduct research on colony collapse disorder and other pollinator issues; and a USDA-conducted nationwide honey bee pest, pathogen, health, and population status surveillance program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2023
3D Printed Gun Safety Act of 2023 This bill makes it unlawful to intentionally publish digital instructions that can automatically program a three-dimensional printer or similar device to produce or complete a firearm from an unfinished frame or receiver.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2023
This bill authorizes the President to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Gary Lee McKiddy of Miamisburg, Ohio, for acts of valor while serving in the 1st Cavalry Division of the Army, particularly on May 6, 1970, the day he died during a combat operation in Cambodia.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2023
This resolution recognizes the 102nd anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. (The Tulsa Race Massacre occurred in the neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The neighborhood was referred to as America's Black Wall Street. In 1921, racial violence resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Black residents and the displacement of thousands, in what came to be known as one of the worst racial attacks in U.S. history.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2023
Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the use of corporal punishment in schools that receive federal funding. Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Education (ED) to take specified actions (e.g., withholding funds and issuing cease-and-desist orders) for schools that allow school personnel, law enforcement officers, or school security guards to subject students to corporal punishment. The bill also establishes enforcement provisions, including a private right of action for a student who has been subjected to corporal punishment. Each state educational agency (SEA) that receives federal funding must submit specified information to ED, including a school climate report that describes the SEA's policies and procedures related to exclusionary and aversive discipline practices in schools. Additionally, the bill authorizes ED to award three-year grants to SEAs and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to implement positive behavioral interventions and supports to address student behavior and reduce exclusionary and aversive discipline practices. ED must promulgate regulations as necessary to ensure compliance with the bill. The Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior must ensure that the schools they operate or fund also comply with these regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2023
Red Tape Reduction Act of 2023 This bill modifies the reporting requirements for payments made in settlement of payment card and third party network transactions. Under current law, settlement organizations are not required to report information for transactions that do not exceed $600. This bill increases the reporting threshold so that settlement organizations are exempt from reporting requirements if the applicable transactions do not exceed $10,000, or there are no more that 50 such transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act or the SECURE Act This bill allows qualified nationals of a country that has or had a temporary protected status designation to obtain lawful permanent residence (sometimes referred to as a green card ). To qualify for a green card, such an individual must (1) have or had temporary protected status, (2) have qualified for such status on certain dates, or (3) have been present in the United States due to having been granted deferred enforced departure status that extended past a certain date. Furthermore, the individual must (1) have been continuously present in the United States for three years before applying for a green card or before being removed after a certain date, (2) not be inadmissible or deportable for certain reasons, and (3) pass applicable background checks. The continuous presence requirement may be waived in certain instances. Such an individual's spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried child may also obtain a green card under this bill upon meeting certain requirements. An individual with a pending application shall receive work authorization and be eligible for travel authorization. An individual may not be removed if the individual (1) has a pending application, or (2) is prima facie eligible for a green card under this bill and intends to apply. Information from applications may not be used or shared for immigration enforcement, with limited exceptions such as for identifying fraudulent claims.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Bicycle Commuter Act of 2023 This bill reinstates and expands the tax exclusion for employer-provided fringe benefits for bicycle commuting. It allows employees a bicycle commuting benefit equal to 30% of parking fringe benefits. The bill repeals the suspension period (2018-2025) applicable to such tax exclusion and revises definitions applicable to bicycle commuting benefits to make electric bicycles and certain scooters eligible for the tax exclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Democracy Restoration Act of 2023 This bill addresses the voting rights of individuals convicted of a criminal offense and the restoration of their voting rights. First, the bill declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence. Further, the bill provides for enforcement of, and remedies for violations of, the bill. In addition, it sets forth requirements for state and federal notification of individuals of the restoration of their voting rights. Finally, the bill prohibits federal funding of construction or improvement of a place of incarceration unless U.S. citizens incarcerated in that jurisdiction are notified, upon release, of their voting rights.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Safe Interactions Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to nonprofit disability organizations to develop training programs for law enforcement officers who may encounter individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Data on Interactions and Accountability for Law Enforcement with Individuals with Disabilities Act This bill expands activities to collect data about interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with disabilities. In particular, the bill establishes a temporary advisory council within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a methodology for collecting and reporting data on interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with disabilities. HHS must award a grant to an independent research organization or institution of higher education to test the validity and reliability of the council's methodology. The council must also provide the Department of Justice with best practices to collect disability status in cases where a death or injury occurred because of an interaction with law enforcement. The bill also requires certain federal initiatives that collect information about interactions with law enforcement (e.g., the National Use-of-Force Data Collection) to include disability status. Further, the Bureau of Justice must award a grant to an independent third-party organization (e.g., an institution of higher education) for identifying trends using certain survey data in violence committed by law enforcement officers against individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification 2.0 Act or the BENES 2.0 Act This bill requires Social Security account statements for individuals attaining ages 60 to 65 to include information about Medicare eligibility, late enrollment penalties, benefit coordination, and related resources. Statements with the required information must be mailed to individuals at least three months before they turn 65; the required information must also be mailed to those who are age 65 or over and are entitled to Social Security benefits three months before their initial Medicare enrollment period begins.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish grants to support sex education and sexual health services for young people (ages 10 through 29) and repeals requirements that apply to certain federally funded sex education programs. HHS must award grants, in coordination with the Department of Education, to (1) provide sex education to young people; and (2) train education professionals to effectively teach, and otherwise support, sex education. Sex education refers to high quality teaching and learning that follows, to the maximum extent practicable, specified educational standards; covers a variety of topics concerning sex and sexuality; explores values and beliefs about those topics; and helps young people gain skills to navigate relationships and manage sexual health. Additionally, HHS must award grants to youth-serving organizations and health care entities that are eligible to receive covered outpatient drugs at reduced prices through the 340B drug discount program for providing sexual health services to marginalized youth. Recipients of any of these grants must comply with certain nondiscrimination requirements. In addition, they may not use funds for sex education programs or sexual health services that provide incomplete or inaccurate medical information or fail to address specified issues. The bill also eliminates prohibitions regarding the content of specified federally funded sexual health education and information programs and repeals the Abstinence Only Until Marriage program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Keeping All Students Safe Act This bill prohibits the use of seclusion and limits the use of physical restraint in schools and Head Start programs that receive federal funding. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of seclusion, which is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. The term does not include a time out, which may involve separating the student from others in a non-locked setting. The bill prohibits the use of mechanical or chemical restraints or physical restraints that restrict breathing or are life threatening. The bill outlines the requirements for the use of physical restraint, including that the student's behavior must pose an imminent danger of serious physical injury to the student or other individual. Each state must ensure that a sufficient number of program personnel are trained and certified by a state-approved crisis intervention training program. Additionally, each program must establish procedures to follow after an incident involving physical restraint. Further, the bill establishes enforcement provisions, including a private right of action for a student who has been subjected to unlawful seclusion or restraint. The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services must withhold payments from a program for unlawful seclusion or restraint. Finally, the bill requires each state educational agency (SEA) to establish, implement, and enforce policies and procedures required by the bill. It also creates a grant program to assist SEAs with these activities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Red Tape Reduction Act of 2023 This bill modifies the reporting requirements for payments made in settlement of payment card and third party network transactions. Under current law, settlement organizations are not required to report information for transactions that do not exceed $600. This bill increases the reporting threshold so that settlement organizations are exempt from reporting requirements if the applicable transactions do not exceed $10,000, or there are no more that 50 such transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a rule that requires all new motor vehicles to have devices that can access AM broadcast stations installed as standard equipment. (AM broadcast stations are often used to deliver emergency alerts and news and entertainment programming; some newer vehicles do not include AM equipment.) Specifically, this bill applies to motor vehicles manufactured in the United States, imported into the United States, or shipped in interstate commerce after the rule's effective date. The DOT rule must require all such vehicles to have devices that can receive signals and play content transmitted by AM broadcast stations or digital audio AM broadcast stations installed as standard equipment. Prior to the effective date of the rule, manufacturers that do not include devices that can access AM broadcast stations as standard equipment must inform purchasers of this fact through clear and conspicuous labeling. DOT may assess civil penalties against any manufacturer that fails to comply with the mandate. The Department of Justice may also bring a civil action to enjoin a violation. Further, the Government Accountability Office must study and report on whether a reliable alternative communication system exists for delivering emergency alerts and consider the (1) cost to drivers and passengers of receiving communications through an alternative system, and (2) cost and time required to develop and implement an alternative.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Reclaiming the Solar Supply Chain Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a program that awards grants and direct loans to support a solar component manufacturing supply chain. Under the program, DOE must award grants and loans to manufacturers and other eligible entities for (1) constructing new facilities that manufacture solar components; and (2) retooling, retrofitting, or expanding existing facilities that manufacture solar components.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Strength in Diversity Act of 2023 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education may award planning and implementation grants to specified educational agencies (e.g., local educational agencies) to improve diversity and reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic isolation in publicly funded early childhood education programs, public elementary schools, or public secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety and Oversight Improvements Act of 2023 This bill expands the application, testing, and inspection requirements for a foreign manufacturer of cylinders used for transporting hazardous materials in the United States (e.g., compressed gas cylinders). Current regulations require a foreign manufacturer to apply for approval from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for testing such cylinders outside of the United States. The bill requires that, to obtain an approval, a foreign manufacturer must answer in their application specified questions, including whether the manufacturer is or has been subject to various civil or criminal penalties. Further, DOT must establish a process for any interested party to request a reevaluation of an approval for a foreign manufacturer's cylinders to review the accuracy and safety of the manufacturer's actions. DOT must also revise the foreign inspection regulations to require that annual inspections of foreign manufacturers be carried out if DOT determines there is good cause; specify that a refusal of inspection shall result in the loss of good standing; allow DOT to request testing and production records and random sample testing; and allow for the recovery of the costs of foreign inspections, including travel and time. The bill limits an approval to one year; however, DOT may extend an approval for five years for a manufacturer who meets certain requirements. On an annual basis, DOT must publish a list of approved foreign manufacturers of cylinders on the department's website.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
This resolution designates the week of May 14-May 20, 2023, as National Police Week. The resolution further recognizes law enforcement officers across the United States in the pursuit of preserving safe and secure communities; the need to ensure that such officers have the equipment, training, and resources necessary to protect their health and safety while they are protecting the public; and the law enforcement community for acts of sacrifice and heroism. The resolution expresses condolences and appreciation to the loved ones of each law enforcement officer who has made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2023
Support Our Election Workers Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to establish a program to make payments to states to provide increased pay for election workers, including individuals serving as election officials or poll workers on a temporary or unpaid basis.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2023
Protecting Service Members and Military Families' Access to Reproductive Care Act of 2023 This bill provides statutory authority for a Department of Defense (DOD) policy that provides for the granting of an administrative absence at the request of a member of the Armed Forces for purposes of receiving non-covered reproductive health care or to accompany a spouse or other dependent who receives non-covered reproductive health care. Under the bill, non-covered reproductive health care means care not authorized to be performed at a DOD facility, including an abortion or assisted reproductive technology (e.g., in vitro fertilization). An administrative absence granted for such purposes may not exceed 21 days. DOD is authorized to prescribe regulations under this bill, which must provide that (1) no additional requirements may be imposed on a member requesting an administrative absence for non-covered reproductive health care, and (2) DOD and the approval authority of a member must prioritize the privacy of the member (or dependent). The bill also authorizes DOD to provide an allowance for travel expenses in connection with a member's or dependent's travel to receive non-covered reproductive health care.
![Official portrait of Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000944_200.jpg)