United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2023
Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries Act or the HARM Act This bill requires the Department of State to designate the Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization. Such designation also applies to any affiliated and successor entities undertaking malign activities against the United States and its allies or partners. (Among other things, such a designation allows the Department of the Treasury to require financial institutions to block transactions involving the organization.) The President may waive the application of sanctions against these entities if the President determines it to be in the national interest.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2023
Secure and Protect Act of 2023 This bill makes changes to the handling of unaccompanied alien children and asylum applications. ( Aliens is the term in federal law used to describe non-U.S. nationals.) The Flores settlement (a court settlement imposing conditions on the treatment of detained alien minors) shall not restrict any activities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall have sole discretion as to the conditions of detention for such minors. Statutory provisions governing the handling of unaccompanied alien children from U.S.-bordering countries shall now govern all unaccompanied alien children. The bill provides for requirements relating to the handling of such children. Certain immigration officer determinations relating to unaccompanied alien children shall be unreviewable. DHS may detain accompanied alien children while removal proceedings are pending (some courts have ruled that Flores limits the detention of certain children to 20 days). States may not impose licensing requirements for family detention facilities. An unaccompanied alien child may not be released from custody while immigration or removal proceedings are pending, with some exceptions. The bill limits asylum eligibility to individuals entering the United States at a designated port of entry and provides for additional grounds for asylum ineligibility. A credible fear of persecution is redefined to mean that it is more likely than not that the individual would be able to establish eligibility for asylum. The Department of State must establish refugee application and processing centers in Mexico and Central America. The bill also requires the hiring of additional immigration judges, support staff, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2023
Reinvesting In Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act of 2023 or the RISEE Act of 2023 This bill increases revenue streams provided to states from offshore wind projects, offshore oil and gas leases, and onshore energy and mineral resources. States must use the revenue for specified purposes, such as coastal restoration, conservation, or infrastructure. Specifically, the bill requires revenues generated from offshore wind projects carried out under a lease entered into on or after January 1, 2022, to be deposited into accounts for the U.S. Treasury, the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, and adjacent coastal states. Currently, this revenue is deposited in the U.S. Treasury. The Department of the Interior must disburse the revenue to a state in an amount that is based on a formula that is inversely proportional to a state's distance from the offshore wind site. In addition, the bill removes the cap on the amount of revenue generated from offshore oil and gas leases that may be shared with states under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. It also eliminates a fee under the Mineral Leasing Act that Interior currently collects to administer the onshore revenue sharing program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2023
Dream Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel removal and grant lawful permanent resident status on a conditional basis to certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who initially entered the United States as minors (younger than 18 years of age). Specifically, DHS must do so for such an individual who (1) is inadmissible, is deportable, or has temporary protected status; (2) has been continuously physically present in the United States for four years preceding this bill's enactment; (3) is not inadmissible on various grounds such as those related to crime or security; and (4) has fulfilled specified educational requirements. DHS must also do so for an individual who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status unless the individual has engaged in conduct that would make the individual ineligible for DACA. DHS shall remove the conditional basis of the lawful permanent resident status granted under this bill if the individual meets various requirements, such as (1) maintaining residence in the United States, and (2) acquiring a degree from an institution of higher education or serving in the uniformed services. DHS may not disclose or use information provided in applications filed under this bill or in DACA requests for immigration enforcement purposes. The bill also repeals a restriction barring states from providing higher education benefits to undocumented aliens unless those benefits are available to all U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2023
Syria Detainee and Displaced Persons Act This bill renews a requirement for an executive branch official to coordinate the U.S. government response to issues related to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) members in the custody of Syrian Democratic Forces. The bill also modifies aspects of this coordinator position, such as by expanding the scope to include issues concerning relevant displaced individuals who are not ISIS members. Specifically, the bill renews the requirement to have this coordinator position through January 31, 2025. Under current law, this requirement expired on January 31, 2021. In addition, the Department of State must submit to Congress an interagency strategy relating to camps for displaced individuals in Syria, including methods to (1) prevent violent extremism in such camps, and (2) return and reintegrate displaced Syrian and Iraqi women and children into their communities of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2023
Major Richard Star Act This bill allows a veteran with a combat-related disability and fewer than 20 years of creditable service to receive retirement pay, without reduction, concurrent with disability compensation.
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 · 9 February 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, enacted by the council of the District of Columbia (DC). The act makes a variety of changes to DC criminal laws, including by providing statutory definitions for various elements of criminal offenses, modifying sentencing guidelines and penalties, and expanding the right to a jury trial for certain misdemeanor crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2023
Domestic Reinvestment Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or any other person from requiring any repayment, recoupment, or offset of certain antidumping and countervailing duties. The bill also requires DHS, within 90 days, to (1) refund any repayment or recoupment of these payments that were collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after January 1, 2017, and (2) fully distribute any antidumping or countervailing duties withheld as an offset by CBP.
United States · United States Congress · 7 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 · 7 February 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the interim final rule issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) titled Reproductive Health Services and published on September 9, 2022. The rule authorizes the VA to provide certain abortion-related care to veterans. The rule also applies to such care provided to beneficiaries covered under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA).
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 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. The bill establishes the right for a person to bring a civil action for a violation of this bill.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 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 · 2 February 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Revised Definition of "Waters of the United States," which was submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency on January 18, 2023. The rule specifies which bodies of water fall under the scope of the Clean Water Act and are thereby under federal jurisdiction. The 2023 rule replaced a 2020 rule that included a narrower definition of waters of the United States .
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2023 This bill allows a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. A qualified individual must (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid state-issued concealed carry permit, or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
Parental Rights Over The Education and Care of Their Kids Act or the PROTECT Kids Act This bill requires elementary and middle schools, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to obtain parental consent under specified circumstances. Specifically, an elementary school or a school consisting of only grades 5-8 must obtain parental consent before (1) changing a minor child's gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form; or (2) allowing a child to change the child's sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2023
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 · 31 January 2023
This joint resolution nullifies the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, enacted by the council of the District of Columbia. The act allows noncitizens who meet residency and other requirements to vote in local elections in the district.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2023
Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023 This bill expands federal enforcement of criminal offenses related to organized retail crime. Organized retail crime typically refers to large-scale retail theft and fraud by organized groups of professional shoplifters, or boosters, who make money by stealing merchandise and reselling it for a fraction of the retail cost. First, with respect to criminal offenses involving the transportation of stolen property across state lines and the sale or receipt of stolen goods, the bill broadens the scope of conduct that qualifies as offenses. Additionally, the bill makes the offenses predicate offenses (i.e., underlying offenses) for prosecutions under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any property representing or traceable to the gross proceeds obtained as a result of an offense or a conspiracy to commit an offense. Second, with respect to criminal offenses involving theft from an interstate or foreign shipment, the bill makes an offense an underlying offense for prosecution under the federal money laundering statute and authorizes the criminal forfeiture of any property representing or traceable to the gross proceeds obtained as a result of an offense or a conspiracy to commit an offense. Finally, the bill establishes a center—the Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center—within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the federal law enforcement activities related to organized retail crime.
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
This concurrent resolution commends the bravery, courage, and resolve of the women and men of Iran who are (1) participating in the current protests to defend their fundamental human rights, and (2) risking their safety to speak out against the human rights abuses committed by the Iranian regime. The resolution condemns (1) the brutal beating and death of Mahsa Amini; and (2) the violent suppression by the Iranian regime of women and men participating in the current demonstrations, including children, and calls for transparent accountability for all killings of protesters by Iranian security forces. Finally, the resolution encourages continued efforts by the Biden Administration to respond to the protests, including the recent sanctioning of the Iranian morality police.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2023
Educational Choice for Children Act This bill allows individuals and corporations a new tax credit after 2022 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 · 26 January 2023
Support And Value Expectant Moms and Babies Act of 2023 or the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from approving any new drug (either as a brand-name drug or a generic) intended to terminate a pregnancy and imposes additional restrictions on such drugs that are already approved. Under the bill, an already-approved drug intended to terminate a pregnancy may be dispensed to a patient only with a prescription. Furthermore, the FDA may not approve any labeling change that would authorize (1) using the drug after 70 days of gestation, or (2) dispensing the drug by any means other than in-person administration by the prescribing health care practitioner. The FDA must also impose additional restrictions on such already-approved drugs, including by (1) requiring the prescribing health care practitioner to receive a special certification, (2) prohibiting the practitioner from also acting as the dispensing pharmacist, and (3) requiring the practitioner to have the ability to provide surgical intervention to the patient. The bill also rescinds any investigational use exemption already granted to such a drug if the bill would have prohibited the FDA from granting the exemption. (Currently, the FDA may grant an exemption to certain market approval requirements if a drug is intended solely for use in safety and effectiveness investigations.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2023
Viral Gain - of-Function Research Moratorium Act This bill prohibits the award of federal research grants to institutions of higher education or research institutes that conduct gain-of-function research. Gain-of-function research refers to any research that (1) could confer attributes to influenza, MERS, or SARS viruses such that the virus would have enhanced pathogenicity or transmissibility in an organism; or (2) involves methods that could enhance potential pandemic pathogens or related risky research with potentially dangerous pathogens.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2023
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2023 This bill modifies provisions relating to federal funding for, and health insurance coverage of, abortions. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions or for health coverage that includes abortions. Such restrictions extend to the use of funds in the budget of the District of Columbia. Additionally, abortions may not be provided in a federal health care facility or by a federal employee. Historically, language has been included in annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions—such language is commonly referred to as the Hyde Amendment. Similar language is also frequently included in appropriations bills for other federal agencies and the District of Columbia. The bill makes these restrictions permanent and extends the restrictions to all federal funds (rather than specific agencies). The bill's restrictions regarding the use of federal funds do not apply in cases of rape, incest, or where a physical disorder, injury, or illness endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Hyde Amendment provides the same exceptions. The bill also prohibits qualified health plans from including coverage for abortions. Currently, qualified health plans may cover abortion, but the portion of the premium attributable to abortion coverage is not eligible for subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2023
Allowing Military Exemptions, Recognizing Individual Concerns About New Shots Act of 2023 or the AMERICANS Act This bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from issuing any COVID-19 vaccine mandate as a replacement for the rescinded vaccine mandate of August 24, 2021, unless the mandate is expressly authorized by Congress. The bill also provides that DOD must establish an application process for remedies for members of the Armed Forces who were discharged or subject to adverse action under the rescinded mandate. Any administrative discharge of a member on the sole basis of a failure to receive a COVID-19 vaccine must be categorized as an honorable discharge, and DOD is prohibited from taking any adverse action against such a member for that reason. Under the bill, DOD must try to retain unvaccinated members and provide such members with professional development, promotion and leadership opportunities, and consideration equal to that of their peers. Additionally, DOD may only consider the COVID-19 vaccination status of members in making certain decisions (e.g., deployments in countries where it is the law) and must establish a process to provide exemptions to certain members for such decisions. This bill applies to all members of the Armed Forces, regardless of whether they sought an accommodation to any DOD COVID-19 vaccination policy.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2023
Stop the Nosy Obsession with Online Payments Act of 2023 or the SNOOP Act of 2023 This bill modifies requirements for third party settlement organizations to eliminate their reporting requirement with respect to the transactions of their participating payees unless they have earned more than $20,000 on more than 200 separate transactions in an applicable tax period. A third party settlement organization is the central organization that has the contractual obligation to make payments to participating payees (generally, a merchant or business) in a third party payment network. This reverses a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that lowered the reporting threshold to $600 with no minimum on the number of transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2022
Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2022 This bill expands and revises the system of vulnerable coastal areas that are protected under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, including by directing the Department of the Interior to carry out a coastal hazard pilot project to identify areas that can be added to the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System. The bill also modifies certain boundaries of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Units located in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2022
Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries Act or the HARM Act This bill requires the Department of State to designate the PMC Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization. Such designation also applies to any affiliated and successor entities undertaking malign activities against the United States and its allies or partners. (Among other things, such a designation allows the Department of the Treasury to require financial institutions to block transactions involving the organization.) The President may waive the application of sanctions against these entities if the President determines it to be in the national interest.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2022
United States Foundation for International Conservation Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of State to establish a foundation to provide grants for projects to manage protected and conserved areas in low- and middle-income countries with high levels of biological diversity or species and ecosystems of significant importance. Recipients of grants from this foundation must secure outside funding to match, at minimum, the amount of the grant.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2022
Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act or the GUARD VA Benefits Act This bill imposes criminal penalties and/or fines on individuals for directly or indirectly soliciting, contracting for, charging, or receiving any unauthorized fee or compensation with respect to the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of any claim for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. The attempted commission of such offenses is also punishable by fine or imprisonment.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2022
Ensuring Ukrainian Sovereignty Act This bill requires the immediate termination of all economic and military assistance to any country that recognizes Russia's annexation of any part of Ukraine.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2022
Honest Ads Act This bill applies requirements, limitations, and protections regarding political advertising in traditional media to internet or digital political advertising. The bill sets forth special rules for disclosure statements for certain internet or digital ads.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2022
This resolution designates October 2022 as 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 · 28 September 2022
Syria Detainee and Displaced Persons Act This bill addresses detainees in Syria affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), including by requiring an interagency strategy regarding such detainees.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2022
This resolution condemns the death and detention of Mahsa Amini (an Iranian woman who died in the custody of the Morality Policy of Iran after being detained for purportedly wearing her hijab improperly). It also calls on Iran to end its systemic persecution of women.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2022
This resolution expresses the refusal of the Senate to recognize any Russian claim of sovereignty over any portion of Ukraine and calls on the President to restrict economic and military aid and assistance to any country that recognizes Russian sovereignty over any part of Ukraine.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2022
Respect for Child Survivors Act This bill requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to use a multidisciplinary approach with any investigation of child sexual exploitation or abuse, the production of child sexual abuse material, or child trafficking. The FBI must also use a trained child adolescent forensic interviewer in these investigations if practicable and consistent with applicable federal law. In implementing a multidisciplinary approach, the bill requires the FBI to use and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams based at children's advocacy centers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2022
Preserving the Readiness of our Armed Forces Act of 2022 This bill provides that a member of the National Guard (or another reserve component) must maintain access to pay and benefits while a request for a religious or health accommodation is pending. Additionally, a member of an active or reserve component of the Armed Forces may not be involuntarily separated from the Armed Forces based solely on COVID-19 vaccination status until specified recruiting goals are achieved.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2022
Preventing Underhanded and Nefarious Iranian Supported Homicides Act of 2022 or the PUNISH Act of 2022 This bill extends sanctions and national emergencies related to Iran established by specified executive orders and limits the authority of the President to waive sanctions related to Iran. The bill requires the Department of State to periodically report whether Iran or any foreign person has supported specified activities, including murder or politically motivated detention in Iran of a U.S. citizen.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2022
Domestic Reinvestment Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or any other person from requiring any repayment, recoupment, or offset of certain antidumping and countervailing duties. The bill also requires DHS, within 90 days, to (1) refund any repayment or recoupment of these payments, and (2) fully distribute any antidumping or countervailing duties withheld as an offset by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2022
Non-Recognition of Russian Annexation of Ukrainian Territory Act This bill prohibits any federal agency from taking any action or extending any assistance that recognizes or implies recognition of Russia's sovereignty over any internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, including its airspace and territorial waters.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2022
Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act or the PROTECT Kids Act This bill requires elementary and middle schools, as a condition of receiving federal funds, to obtain parental consent under specified circumstances. Specifically, an elementary school or a school consisting of only grades 5-8 must obtain parental consent before (1) changing a minor child's gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form; or (2) allowing a child to change the child's sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms.
![Official portrait of Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/29c09ee2f48f20442f562980da6579ba_200.jpg)