United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
Supporting Farmworkers' Mental Health Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and modifies the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program. (The FRSAN Program funds projects that aim to maintain a network connecting individuals engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations to stress assistance programs.) Specifically, the bill makes individuals engaged in farm work eligible for assistance under the FRSAN Program. The bill also expands the types of programs eligible for FRSAN grants to include those that deliver peer-to-peer mental health support to individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, farm work, and other agriculture-related occupations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act of 2023 This bill directs and authorizes certain actions aimed at supporting Armenia in its conflict with Azerbaijan. For example, the bill repeals presidential waiver authority that allows for certain foreign assistance to Azerbaijan; authorizes foreign military financing grants to Armenia for FY2024; requires the Department of State to submit a detailed strategy to Congress to ensure the durable security for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and a detailed report on alleged Azerbaijani atrocities in its attacks on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022 and 2023; authorizes the State Department and USAID to implement activities related to development of Armenia's energy sector; requires the State Department to seek opportunities for partnership between U.S. and Armenian entities on science and technology; and requires the President to impose sanctions on certain Azerbaijani officials determined to have directed (1) operations instigating the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, (2) attacks on Armenia in September 2022, (3) the blockade of the Lachin corridor beginning in December 2022, or (4) attacks on Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
Opportunity To Address College Hunger Act This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that receive grants to operate work-study programs to notify a student participating in a state or federally financed work-study program that the student may be eligible for participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Department of Education must provide guidance to states and IHEs on how to identify and communicate with students who are potentially eligible for SNAP.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that access to reliable and clean drinking water is critically important to the health and welfare of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. Further, the resolution calls upon the federal government to ensure water access for tribal members and communities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2023 This bill addresses harassment at institutions of higher education (IHEs). Specifically, the bill requires each IHE to include in its annual security report a statement of policy regarding harassment on the basis of a student's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, and a sex stereotype), disability, or religion. In addition, the Department of Education may award grants to IHEs to initiate, expand, or improve programs to (1) prevent the harassment of students; (2) provide counseling or redress services to students who have been harassed or accused of subjecting other students to harassment; or (3) educate and train students, faculty, or staff to prevent harassment or address harassment if it occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2023
Stop Campus Hazing Act This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs to report hazing incidents. Specifically, the bill requires each IHE to disclose hazing incidents that were reported to campus security authorities or local police agencies in its annual security report. The bill defines the term hazing to mean any intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a person against a student (regardless of that student's willingness to participate), that (1) is connected with an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, an organization (e.g., a club, athletic team, fraternity, or sorority); and (2) causes or is likely to contribute to a substantial risk, above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the IHE or the organization, of physical injury, mental harm, or degradation. In addition, each IHE must develop and distribute as part of its annual security report a statement of policy regarding the following: (1) a comprehensive program to prevent hazing, which must include information on hazing awareness and hazing prevention; and (2) the IHE's current campus policies on hazing, which must include procedures that comply with specified collection and reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2023
Billie Jean King Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Billie Jean King in recognition of her courageous and groundbreaking leadership in advancing equal rights for women in athletics, education, and society.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2023
Secure And Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act or the SAFER Banking Act This bill provides protections for federally regulated financial institutions that serve state-sanctioned marijuana businesses. Currently, many financial institutions do not provide services to state-sanctioned marijuana businesses due to the federal classification of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. Under the bill, a federal banking regulator may not penalize a depository institution for providing banking services to a state-sanctioned marijuana business. For example, regulators may not terminate or limit the deposit or share insurance of a depository institution solely because the institution provides financial services to a state-sanctioned marijuana business. The bill also prohibits a federal banking regulator from requesting or requiring a depository institution to terminate a deposit account unless (1) there is a valid reason, such as the regulator has cause to believe that the depository institution is engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice; and (2) reputational risk is not the dispositive factor. Additionally, proceeds from a transaction involving activities of a state-sanctioned marijuana business are no longer considered proceeds from unlawful activity. (Financial institutions that handle proceeds from unlawful activity are subject to anti-money laundering laws. Violators of these laws are subject to fines and imprisonment.) Furthermore, a financial institution, insurer, or federal agency may not be held liable or subject to asset forfeiture under federal law for providing a loan, mortgage, or other financial service to a state-sanctioned marijuana business.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2023
Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act of 2023 This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to establish a fresh produce program that serves individuals at risk of food and nutrition insecurity. Specifically, the AMS must enter into contracts with growers, distributors, food hubs, and others to procure U.S.- grown fresh produce (excluding legumes) for distribution to organizations that serve individuals at risk (e.g., nonprofit food banks and pantries, schools, child or senior care centers, and community-based organizations). Under the AMS contracts, the produce must meet specific requirements. For example, the produce must be grown in the United States, include locally grown produce, and include at least seven varieties of fresh produce that are distributed. The AMS must prioritize contracts with eligible growers, distributors, food hubs, and others that are (or source produce from) beginning farmers; small or mid-sized farms that are structured as family farms; or socially disadvantaged farmers, including women-owned and veteran-owned eligible entities. As part of the program, the AMS must provide (1) information to assist small farmers, beginning farmers, veteran farmers, and socially disadvantaged farmers in obtaining food safety certifications; (2) financial assistance for changes and upgrades to improve food safety; and (3) technical assistance to eligible fresh produce growers, distributors, food hubs, and others. In addition, the Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress that evaluates the effectiveness of the program with respect to, among other things, increasing low-income households' access to a wide variety of fresh produce and increasing the federal government's procurement of fresh produce.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2023
Commission on Equity and Reconciliation in the Uniformed Services Act This bill establishes the Commission on Equity and Reconciliation in the Uniformed Services. Among other duties, the commission must (1) identify and compile information on the policing of sexual orientation and gender identify in the uniformed services from the beginning of World War II and onward, (2) gather testimonies from LGBTQ members of the Armed Forces and veterans about their experiences, (3) examine the impacts of discriminatory policies and corresponding actions on the physical and mental well-being of members of the Armed Forces, and (4) recommend appropriate remedies to address the findings of the commission. The commission must submit a report of its findings to Congress no later than one year after its first meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2023
Same Day Registration Act This bill requires states with a voter registration requirement to make same-day voter registration available at the polling place on any day voting is permitted.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2023
This resolution designates September 2023 as National Voting Rights Month, encourages people to uphold the right to vote, encourages Congress to pass certain voting rights legislation, recommends the development of a curriculum in public schools and universities regarding voting, expresses appreciation for the U.S. Postal Service having issued a special Representative John R. Lewis stamp, and invites Congress to allocate funds for public service announcements regarding elections.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2023
Stop Automatically Voiding Eligible Voters Off Their Enlisted Rolls in States Act or the Save Voters Act This bill prohibits a state from removing registrants from the official list of eligible voters unless it meets certain verification and notice requirements. Specifically, the bill prohibits a state from removing a registrant from the official list of eligible voters unless it verifies, on the basis of objective and reliable evidence, that the registrant is ineligible to vote in federal elections. Further, a state is prohibited from considering failure to vote in an election or failure to respond to any election mail as evidence of ineligibility to vote. Additionally, the bill requires a state to provide individual registrants who are removed with a notice, which must include the grounds for the removal and information on contesting the removal. Public notice must be provided after conducting any general program to remove the names of ineligible voters.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2023
Register America to Vote Act of 2023 This bill provides for the automatic registration of eligible voters. Specifically, the bill directs each state that has a voter registration requirement for federal elections to automatically register eligible individuals when they turn 18 years of age. The bill also provides for the automatic registration of individuals through state motor vehicle authorities. Individuals must be provided with an opportunity to opt out of automatic voter registration. The Election Assistance Commission must make grants to states to implement these automatic voter registration programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2023
Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act of 2023 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to set the hiring target for new air traffic controllers as the maximum number of individuals who are able to be trained at the FAA Academy.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2023
Rural Veterinary Workforce Act This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, student loan repayment or forgiveness assistance provided to veterinarians practicing in rural areas of a state.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2023
This resolution honors the Thai garment workers who were freed from the El Monte, California, sweatshop in 1995 and the many legal, cultural, and policy changes that resulted from the sweatshop case. The resolution also recognizes the individuals who continue to fight against exploitative working conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 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 · 14 September 2023
Wounded Warrior Access Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a secure online tool or website to enable a claimant or their representative to make records requests related to VA claims and benefits. Requests for records must specify in which format the copy is desired. The VA must notify a requester within 10 days that their request has been received and must fulfill the request within 120 days. The bill also requires the VA to ensure that each time a claimant logs in to a website or online tool of the VA, the website or online tool displays in plain language (1) a warning regarding violations of laws related to agents and attorneys, (2) a link to an online tool to report violations, (3) a link to an online tool to search for a VA-recognized agent or attorney, and (4) a link to a website or online tool providing final decisions on discipline of agents and attorneys for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2023
Green Ribbon Act of 2023 This bill provides statutory authority for and expands the Department of Education’s (ED’s) Green Ribbon Schools program. (This program was established in 2011 to recognize early learning centers, schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions for excellence in reducing environmental impact, increasing health and wellness, and providing sustainability education.) In conducting the Green Ribbon Schools program, ED must (1) reserve funding for the Department of the Interior to carry out activities with respect to schools operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Education; (2) award grants to state educational agencies for the purpose of supporting and engaging eligible entities as green schools; and (3) provide an honorarium to each award winner, subject to appropriations. The bill directs the Institute of Museum and Library Services to establish an award program for nonformal learning institutions (e.g., libraries, museums, and zoos) that is modeled on ED’s program. The bill also establishes within ED the Office of School Infrastructure and Sustainability.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2023
Help Our Kelp Act This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a grant program to fund projects to conserve, restore, or manage kelp forest ecosystems. (A kelp forest is a dense grouping of large brown algae which also serves as a habitat for marine life.) Eligible projects include those that address the greatest relative regional declines in kelp forest ecosystems, focus on kelp forest seeding and connectivity, or integrate Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices into the restoration and monitoring of kelp forest ecosystems. The bill specifies that members of the fishing industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, Indian tribes, state agencies, and local governments are eligible to receive grants. The bill prohibits a grant from exceeding 85% of the total project cost. However, NOAA may waive this restriction in limited circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2023
Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Education to (1) award grants to Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education (IHEs) to improve and expand innovative collaboration agreements between local educational agencies and IHEs to better serve Hispanic and Latino students, (2) provide technical assistance to such IHEs, and (3) contract with a third party to conduct an independent evaluation of grant activities. Such grants must be used for specific activities, such as improving school-based and institutional practices to prepare students for postsecondary education and addressing nonacademic needs of students that are barriers to college enrollment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2023
Impact Aid Infrastructure Partnership Act This bill authorizes through FY2027 construction grants under the Impact Aid program. The Impact Aid program provides funding to local educational agencies (LEAs) that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax-exempt federal property or to those that have experienced increased expenditures due to enrollment of federally connected children (e.g., children living on Indian lands or military bases). Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education (ED), based on applications submitted by LEAs that are eligible to receive payments under the Impact Aid program, to establish a priority listing for grant awards based on facility condition. Further, ED must comply with specified requirements when making grant payments under this bill. For example, ED must provide a grant in full to an LEA that (1) has a facility in violation of a building code that represents a health hazard and which fails to meet other standards, and (2) has no capacity to issue bonds. ED must also require an LEA that has the capacity to issue bonds to pay a percentage of the total cost of the project supported with grant funds. ED must annually report to Congress on the projects carried out under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2023
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2023
Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2023 This bill promotes the remediation of abandoned hardrock mine sites by Good Samaritans. A Good Samaritan means a person that is (1) not a past or current owner or operator of the abandoned site; (2) had no role in the creation of the historic mine residue; and (3) is not potentially liable under any law for the remediation, treatment, or control of the historic mine residue. The bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Good Samaritan pilot program. Under the program, the EPA may issue permits to allow Good Samaritans to remediate historic mine residue at abandoned hardrock mine sites without being subject to enforcement or liability under specified environmental laws for past, present, or future releases, threats of releases, or discharges of hazardous substances or other contaminants at or from the abandoned mine site. In addition, the bill establishes a Good Samaritan Mine Remediation Fund for land management agencies that authorize Good Samaritans to conduct remediation projects on federal land.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2023
African Diaspora Heritage Month Act of 2023 This bill requires the President to designate by proclamation African Diaspora Heritage Month. The proclamation shall be issued every year and urge the observation of African Diaspora Heritage Month by state and local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2023
Child Care Stabilization Act This bill provides additional funding through FY2028 for child care stabilization grants under which lead state agencies make subgrants to child care providers for personnel costs, facility costs, the purchase of personal protective equipment, and other costs related to providing child care services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2023
Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2023 This bill increases from $300 to $1,000 the tax deduction for the expenses of eligible educators. An eligible educator is, with respect to any taxable year, an individual who is a K-12 teacher, instructor, counselor, principal, or aide in a school for at least 900 hours during a school year. The bill also requires the amount of the deduction to be adjusted annually for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 September 2023
Nationwide Right To Unionize Act This bill authorizes labor agreements to require membership in a labor organization (i.e., union) as a condition of employment regardless of state law (thus preempting any state laws that prohibit such agreements).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
American Law Enforcement Sustaining Aid and Vital Emergency Resources Act or the American Law Enforcement SAVER Act This bill requires the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) within the Department of Justice to develop and publish performance standards for trauma kits that are eligible to be purchased using funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program. Additionally, the BJA must develop and publish best practices for the use, deployment, and maintenance of trauma kits by law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Farmers Feeding America Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), increases funding for the program, and provides additional delivery options for geographically isolated states (i.e., Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam). TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases a variety of commodities and makes those food products (e.g., canned, frozen, dried, and fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, dairy, and whole-grain and enriched grain products) available to state distributing agencies. The bill increases funding for purchasing commodities under the program. Further, the bill directs USDA to coordinate with geographically isolated states to (1) establish alternative delivery options for allocated commodities, and (2) allow for the states to order commodities through the USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. USDA may also provide geographically isolated states the ability to directly purchase domestically grown food in lieu of receiving a portion of the commodities. Under this option, USDA may distribute as cash to the state up to 20% of the cash value of the commodities that are allocated to the state under TEFAP. Further, USDA may consider additional factors beyond lowest price in determining winning bids for contracts for fresh produce packages (including product variety and transportation distance).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Water Efficiency, Conservation, and Sustainability Act of 2023 This bill establishes three grant programs within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address water efficiency and water losses. First, the EPA must establish a grant program to assist states, local governments, tribal governments, public water systems, and nonprofit organizations in carrying out their water efficiency incentive programs. Second, the EPA must establish and carry out a program that provides grants and technical assistance for conducting annual audits of public water systems, implementing controls to address losses identified in the audits, and helping public water systems that have conducted and validated audits to establish water loss control programs. Third, the EPA must establish a grant program to assist states, tribal governments, and local governments in adopting and implementing certain water-efficient plumbing codes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Voice for Farm Workers Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes and expands the duties of the Farmworker Coordinator at the Department of Agriculture (USDA). (Part of the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement, the coordinator identifies challenges faced by farmworkers and coordinates with USDA programs and other federal agencies to address the community’s needs.) Specifically, the bill reauthorizes the position of Farmworker Coordinator through FY2029. Under the bill, the coordinator must assess the effectiveness of USDA farmworker outreach programs, develop and implement a plan to coordinate USDA farmworker outreach activities and services, collaborate with USDA's agencies and offices on farmworker-related programmatic and policy decisions, communicate to employers of farmworkers information about federal programs for employees, identify research priorities to inform USDA farmworker-related research activities, measure and analyze the outcomes of USDA farmworker programs and activities, and recommend new initiatives and programs to USDA. Further, the bill expands the coordinator's existing duties to include (1) serving as a liaison to institutions of higher education and local educational agencies, and (2) consulting with community-based nonprofit organizations on areas such as technical skills and job training programs. The bill also directs the coordinator to hire such staff as necessary to carry out the coordinator's activities.
![Official portrait of Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000145_200.jpg)