United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2023
Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence Off Fentanyl Act or the FEND Off Fentanyl Act This bill requires or authorizes various actions, including sanctions, targeting foreign persons (individuals and entities) engaged in trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit opioids. This bill requires that the sanctions specified in Executive Order 14059 (relating to sanctions on foreign persons involved in the global illicit drug trade), as well as any amendments to or directives issued pursuant to that executive order before the date of the enactment of this bill, shall remain in effect. The bill also requires the President to impose property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person knowingly involved in (1) significant trafficking of fentanyl, fentanyl precursors, or other related opioids by a transnational criminal organization; or (2) significant activities of a transnational criminal organization relating to the trafficking of fentanyl, fentanyl precursors, or other related opioids. The Department of the Treasury is authorized to take certain actions relating to classes of transactions that (1) involve a non-U.S. jurisdiction, and (2) are of primary money laundering concern in connection with illicit opioid trafficking. For such transaction classes, Treasury may require domestic financial institutions to (1) take certain special measures, (2) prohibit certain transmittals of funds, or (3) impose conditions on transmittals of funds. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network must issue guidance to U.S. financial institutions for filing reports of suspicious transactions related to suspected fentanyl trafficking by transnational criminal organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2023
Stop Antiabortion Disinformation Act or the SAD Act This bill prohibits deceptive advertising for reproductive health services. Specifically, the bill makes deceptive advertising regarding whether a person provides contraceptives, abortion services, or access to licensed medical personnel subject to Federal Trade Commission enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2023
Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2023 or the EARN IT Act of 2023 This bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children. The bill establishes the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. The commission must develop best practices for interactive computer services providers (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to prevent, reduce, and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, the bill limits the liability protections of interactive computer service providers with respect to claims alleging violations of child sexual exploitation laws. The bill replaces various statutory references to child pornography and material that contains child pornography with child sexual abuse material . Finally, the bill makes changes to the reporting requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers) who report apparent instances of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Among the changes, the bill requires providers to report facts and circumstances sufficient to identify and locate each minor and each involved individual. The bill also increases the amount of time that providers must preserve the contents of a report.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2023
Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2023 This bill allows a notary public commissioned under state law to remotely notarize electronic records and perform notarizations for remotely located individuals. The bill provides technical requirements for the notarizations, including the creation and retention of video and audio recordings and the use of communication technologies (i.e., video chat). Additionally, the bill requires U.S. courts and states to recognize notarizations—including remote notarizations of electronic records and notarizations of remotely-located individuals—that occur in or affect interstate commerce and are performed by a notary public commissioned under the laws of other states. The bill also allows a notary public to remotely notarize electronic records involving an individual located outside of the United States, subject to certain requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2023
Enhancing K-12 Cybersecurity Act This bill establishes resources and a program to address cybersecurity of elementary and secondary schools. First, the bill directs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to establish an information exchange to disseminate information, best practices, training, and resources to improve cybersecurity in elementary and secondary schools. In addition, CISA must establish a registry to track cyber incidents affecting information technology systems that are owned or managed by schools and educational agencies. Schools and educational agencies may voluntarily submit information to the registry. Finally, the bill requires CISA to establish a program to address cybersecurity threats to school information systems.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2023
Bank Management Accountability Act This bill expands the ability of financial regulators to recover compensation from senior executives or directors at failed banks and financial institutions and to impose bans on their future participation at any financial company. The bill authorizes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to recover compensation paid to certain current or former senior executives or directors of an insured depository institution for which FDIC is a receiver or conservator. If a current or former senior executive or director is substantially responsible for the failed condition of the insured depository institution, FDIC may recover any compensation received during the 2-year period prior to FDIC appointment as receiver or conservator of the insured depository institution, except for cases of fraud, where no time limit shall apply. The bill also (1) prohibits liability insurance policies from covering such compensation, and (2) authorizes FDIC to prohibit any further participation by those individuals in the affairs of any financial company for not less than 2 years. Finally, the bill expands the authority of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the FDIC to ban senior executives at systemically important financial institutions in receivership from participating for 2 years in the affairs of any financial company. Specifically, the bill removes the requirement that, to be subject to such a ban, the violation must involve personal dishonesty or demonstrate willful or continuing disregard for the company's safety and soundness.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2023
This resolution designates April 22-30, 2023, as National Park Week. The resolution also encourages the people of the United States and the world to responsibly visit, experience, recreate in, and support the treasured national parks of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2023
Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act This bill expressly prohibits health care providers and other entities involved in matching donated organs with recipients from denying or restricting an individual's access to organ transplants solely on the basis of the individual's disability, except in limited circumstances. Specifically, these entities may consider an individual's disability when making decisions about transplants only if a physician finds, based on an individualized evaluation, that the individual's physical or mental disability is medically significant to the provision of the transplant. A disability shall not be considered medically significant if the individual has an adequate support system in place to comply with transplant-related medical requirements. These entities must also make reasonable changes to their policies to make transplants and related care more available to individuals with disabilities. Aggrieved individuals may bring claims of discrimination to the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services or before a federal court. The bill provides for expedited resolutions of these claims. In addition, entities that receive federal contracts to manage all or part of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network may not issue policies that prohibit or hinder access to an organ transplant based solely on the individual's disability. This network is a public-private partnership linking professionals involved in the U.S. organ donation and transplantation system.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2023
Global Health, Empowerment and Rights Act This bill establishes that a foreign nongovernmental organization shall not be disqualified from receiving certain U.S. international development assistance solely because the organization provides medical services using non-U.S. government funds if the medical services do not violate the laws of the country in which they are being provided and would not violate United States federal law if provided in the United States. Such foreign organizations shall not be subject to requirements relating to their use of non-U.S. funds for advocacy or lobbying activities, other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2023
Rural Hospital Support Act This bill modifies and extends certain payment adjustments for rural hospitals under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system. Specifically, the bill indexes payment adjustments for sole community hospitals and Medicare-dependent hospitals to FY2016 operating costs, if it results in higher payments for such hospitals. The bill also makes payment adjustments for Medicare-dependent hospitals and low-volume hospitals permanent (the adjustments currently expire at the end of FY2024).
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2023
Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2023 or the ADVANCE Act of 2023 This bill sets forth provisions to develop and deploy advanced nuclear fuel for the United States and certain allied countries, restrict the possession or ownership of enriched uranium from Russia or China, clean up hazardous land, and establish related requirements. Specifically, the bill provides incentives for developing and deploying new nuclear technologies, such as reduced licensing fees and prize awards for deploying such technologies. It also extends through 2045 the indemnification policy under the Price-Anderson Act that limits liability related to the nuclear industry. It also requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to (1) develop a process that enables timely licensing of nuclear production facilities or utilization facilities at brownfield sites, and (2) establish an initiative to enhance preparedness and coordination with respect to the qualification and licensing of advanced nuclear fuel. NRC may hire specialized staff without regard to civil service laws to address its critical licensing or regulatory oversight needs. The NRC must also coordinate certain international nuclear activities and may establish an International Nuclear Reactor Export and Innovation Branch within the Office of International Programs. The bill allows certain foreign entities to receive licenses under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 for nuclear utilization facilities as specified by the bill. The bill also allows the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct activities to assist in cleaning up certain abandoned mining sites on tribal lands that are hazardous.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2023
Failed Bank Executives Clawback Act This bill requires the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to claw back compensation paid to certain responsible parties when an insured depository institution is placed into FDIC receivership. Specifically, all or part of the compensation paid the previous five years to an institution-affiliated party responsible for the condition of the institution must be paid to FDIC to prevent unjust enrichment and to assure that the party bears losses consistent with their responsibility. Compensation includes salary, bonuses, awards, and profits from buying or selling securities. The bill also expands the authority of the FDIC to claw back compensation of parties responsible for financial losses incurred by a financial company regardless of the process by which FDIC is appointed receiver. Finally, the bill establishes that the creditors and shareholders of an insured depository institution's holding company are responsible for the losses when the institution is resolved by the FDIC.
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 · 28 March 2023
Combating Illicit Xylazine Act This bill criminalizes the illicit use of xylazine. (Xylazine, also known as Tranq , is a sedative that is approved for use in animals. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has reported an increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine.) Specifically, the bill establishes criminal penalties for manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense, xylazine for illicit use (i.e., for use in humans) in accordance with the penalties for schedule III substances (up to 10 years imprisonment or, if death or serious bodily injury occurs, up to 15 years imprisonment, as well as criminal fines). In addition, the DEA must coordinate with the Food and Drug Administration to report on the prevalence of the illicit use of xylazine, including associated supply chains. The bill also declares the illicit use of xylazine as an emerging drug threat.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2023
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2023 This bill establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex) Peoples who shall serve as the principal State Department advisor regarding human rights for LGBTQI+ people and represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTQI+ people. The special envoy shall periodically provide Congress with a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development may provide assistance to prevent and respond to such activities against LGBTQI+ people. The bill also requires that specified annual country reports on human rights practices include information on criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2023
This resolution designates March 2023 as National Women's History Month. The resolution also recognizes the celebration of such month as a time to reflect on the contributions that women have made to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2023
Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2023 This bill extends death and disability benefits under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB) to certain public safety officers who suffer from exposure-related cancer while on duty and their survivors. The PSOB program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers who are killed or injured in the line of duty and their survivors. The bill specifies that exposure-related cancer shall be presumed to constitute a personal injury in the line of duty if the public safety officer was exposed to or in contact with heat, radiation, or a carcinogen that is linked to an exposure-related cancer; the officer began serving as an officer not later than 5 years before the date of the diagnosis of an exposure-related cancer and the diagnosis occurred not later than 15 years after the last date of active service; and the exposure-related cancer directly and proximately resulted in the death or permanent and total disability of the officer. The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) must periodically review the definition of exposure-related cance r. It directs the BJA to add additional cancers to the definition under certain circumstances (e.g., a petition process).
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 · 16 March 2023
CDFI Bond Guarantee Program Improvement Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes for four years and otherwise revises the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Bond Guarantee Program. Specifically, the bill (1) reduces the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program minimum issuance amount from $100 million to $25 million, (2) eliminates the cap on the annual number of guarantees, and (3) revises the amount to be held in a CDFI's relending account. (CDFIs are financial institutions serving low-income communities. Designation as a CDFI allows an institution to participate in programs such as the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program. The program provides financing to CDFIs through federal credit subsidies that allow CDFIs to issue bonds.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2023
American Innovation and Jobs Act This bill revises and expands the deductibility of research and experimental expenditures to allow immediate expensing of such expenditures. It also allows the amortization over a period of at least 60 months of certain other types of research and experimental expenditures not treated as expenses. The bill increases the maximum amount eligible for the tax credit for new and small businesses and increases to 20% the rate of the credit for business startups.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2023
Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023 This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the female telephone operators of the Army Signal Corps, commonly known as the Hello Girls , in recognition of their military service, devotion to duty, and 60-year struggle for veterans' benefits and recognition as soldiers.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2023
Save Rural Hospitals Act of 2023 This bill establishes an area wage adjustment floor for Medicare hospital payments in states that are not frontier states and excludes such adjustments from certain budget neutrality rules.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2023
Deliver Executive Profits On Seized Institutions to Taxpayers Act or the DEPOSIT Act This bill imposes an increased tax rate on bonuses paid after March 1, 2023, and profits from sales of bank stock received by highly-paid bank executives employed by failing banks that were closed and for which the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has been appointed conservator or receiver. The bill expresses the sense of the Senate that revenues from such increased taxes be returned to the Deposit Insurance Fund of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2023
United States Foreign Service 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 recognition of the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training to support the collection, curation, and sharing of diplomatic history in the United States via oral history, books, social media, and other means.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2023
Advancing Long-term Incentives for Governance Now Act or the ALIGN Act This bill establishes requirements for share repurchase authorizations (i.e., stock buybacks) and stock-based compensation. Specifically, issuers of securities are required to disclose a stock buyback within one business day of the authorization by the board of directors. Further, executive officers of an issuer are prohibited from selling, transferring, or divesting from a security that is part of that officer's compensation within (1) one year of a buyback, or (2) three years of being granted such a security. The bill establishes exceptions to this prohibition, including by allowing transfers occurring in connection with a change of control of the company or pursuant to a will.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex. Specifically, it (1) limits an employer's defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than sex to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims, (2) enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increases civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The bill also establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Finally, the bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Virginia Wilderness Additions Act of 2023 This bill adds specified additional lands in the George Washington National Forest (a part of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky) to the Rough Mountain Wilderness, and designates specified land in the forest as a potential wilderness area for incorporation into the Rich Hole Wilderness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) may use motorized equipment and mechanized transport in the potential wilderness area until it is incorporated into the Rich Hole Wilderness in order to enhance natural ecosystems by implementing certain activities to improve water quality and aquatic passage, as described in the Forest Service document titled Decision Notice for the Lower Cowpasture Restoration and Management Project and dated December 2015. In carrying out such water quality and aquatic passage improvement activities, USDA must use the minimum tool or administrative practice that has the least amount of adverse impact on wilderness character and resources.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2023
Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes and provides specified funds for the Department of Agriculture's Healthy Food Financing Initiative through FY2028 and for each fiscal year thereafter. (This program provides capacity building and financial resources to eligible healthy food retailers and food supply chain enterprises to assist them in overcoming the high costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved areas.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2023
Women's Health Protection Act of 2023 This bill prohibits governmental restrictions on the provision of, and access to, abortion services. Before fetal viability, governments may not restrict providers from using particular abortion procedures or drugs, offering abortion services via telemedicine, or immediately providing abortion services if delaying risks the patient's health. Furthermore, governments may not require providers to perform unnecessary medical procedures, provide medically inaccurate information, or comply with credentialing or other conditions that do not apply to providers who offer medically comparable services to abortions. Additionally, governments may not require patients to make medically unnecessary in-person visits before receiving abortion services or disclose their reasons for obtaining services. After fetal viability, governments may not restrict providers from performing abortions when necessary to protect a patient's life and health. The same provisions that apply to abortions before viability also apply to necessary abortions after viability. Additionally, states may authorize post-viability abortions in circumstances beyond those that the bill considers necessary. Further, the bill recognizes an individual's right to interstate travel, including for abortion services. The bill also prohibits governments from implementing measures that are similar to those restricted by the bill or that otherwise single out and impede access to abortion services, unless the measure significantly advances the safety of abortion services or health of patients and cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The Department of Justice, individuals, or providers may sue states or government officials to enforce this bill, regardless of certain immunity that would otherwise apply.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2023
Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the service that working dogs provide to society. The designs of the coins minted under this bill shall be emblematic of the contributions of working dogs to society, including in detection, military service, therapy, and assistance. Treasury may issue coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2025. All sales of coins shall include a surcharge, which shall be paid to America's VetDogs for general expenses associated with the fulfillment of its mission.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
American Dream Employment Act of 2023 This bill permits the compensation of congressional employees who hold a current employment authorization document that was issued pursuant to a grant of (1) deferred action, including under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program; (2) deferred enforced departure; or (3) temporary protected status. (Generally, these programs and statuses allow eligible aliens to remain and work in the United States.)
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2023
Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act or the RESTRICT Act This bill requires federal actions to identify and mitigate foreign threats to information and communications technology (ICT) products and services (e.g., social media applications). It also establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations under the bill. Specifically, the Department of Commerce must identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate, and mitigate transactions involving ICT products and services (1) in which any foreign adversary (such as China) has any interest, and (2) that pose an undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety of U.S. persons. Additionally, Commerce must identify and refer to the President any covered holding (e.g., stock or security) that poses an undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons. If the President determines that the holding poses such a risk, the President may compel divestment of or otherwise mitigate the risk associated with the holding. Commerce may (1) designate any foreign government or regime as a foreign adversary upon a determination that the foreign government or regime is engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to U.S. national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons, and (2) remove such a designation. Commerce must notify Congress before making or removing a designation; these actions are subject to congressional disapproval. The bill outlines (1) enforcement mechanisms, including actions by the Department of Justice; and (2) civil and criminal penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2023
Neighborhood Homes Investment Act This bill allows a business-related tax credit for certain development costs for the acquisition, rehabilitation, or remediation of qualified real property (i.e., real property affixed on a permanent foundation and comprised of four or fewer residential units, a condominium unit, or a house or apartment owned by a cooperative housing corporation). The bill also provides for the exclusion from gross income, for income tax purposes, of the value of any subsidy provided to a taxpayer by any state energy office for purposes of improvements made to a qualified residence.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2023
Everett Alvarez, Jr., Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023 This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Everett Alvarez, Jr. in recognition of his service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2023
Safe Step Act This bill requires a group health plan to establish an exception to medication step-therapy protocol in specified cases. A medication step-therapy protocol establishes a specific sequence in which prescription drugs are covered by a group health plan or a health insurance issuer. A request for such an exception to the protocol must be granted if (1) an otherwise required treatment has been ineffective, (2) such treatment is expected to be ineffective and delaying effective treatment would lead to irreversible consequences, (3) such treatment will cause or is likely to cause an adverse reaction to the individual, (4) such treatment is expected to prevent the individual from performing daily activities or occupational responsibilities, (5) the individual is stable based on the prescription drugs already selected, or (6) there are other circumstances as determined by the Employee Benefits Security Administration. The bill requires a group health plan to implement and make readily available a clear process for an individual to request an exception to the protocol, including required information and criteria for granting an exception. The bill further specifies timelines under which plans must respond to such requests.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2023
Federal Employees Civil Relief Act This bill establishes a framework to temporarily suspend certain judicial and administrative proceedings against a federal employee or contractor during a shutdown. Under the bill, a shutdown is a period in which (1) there is more than a 24-hour lapse in appropriations for any federal agency or department because a regular appropriations bill or a continuing resolution has not been enacted, or (2) the debt of the federal government is greater than the statutory limit. A federal worker (i.e., an employee of a government agency or contractor) who is furloughed or required to work without pay during a shutdown may apply to a court for a temporary stay, postponement, or suspension with respect to any payment of rent, mortgage, tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, student loan repayment, or other civil obligation or liability that the worker owes or would owe during the duration of the shutdown. The bill includes related provisions that restrict evictions, foreclosures, the enforcement of liens, and the termination of insurance policies during a shutdown. It also provides for the deferral of federal income taxes and student loan payments during a shutdown. The Department of Justice may commence a civil action against any person who engages in (1) a pattern or practice of violating the requirements of this bill, or (2) a violation that raises an issue of significant public importance. A person aggrieved by a violation of this bill's requirements may also bring a private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2023
Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer's Act This bill allows the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test a Dementia Care Management Model that provides comprehensive care to Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Under the model, participating health care providers receive payment under Medicare for comprehensive care management services that are provided to individuals with diagnosed dementia, excluding Medicare Advantage enrollees, hospice care recipients, and nursing home residents. Required services include medication management, care coordination, and health, financial, and environmental monitoring, as well as trainings and other support services for unpaid caregivers. Providers must furnish services through interdisciplinary teams and must ensure access to a team member or primary care provider 24-7. The CMMI must set payments and determine quality measures for the model in accordance with specified requirements. The bill also allows the CMMI to design a similar model under Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A qualified military spouse is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2023
Social Security Fairness Act This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. These changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2023.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolutionary War.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2023
Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploitation, Threats, Extremism, and Consumer Harms Act or the SAFE TECH Act This bill limits federal liability protection that applies to a user or provider of an interactive computer service (e.g., a social media company) for claims related to content provided by third parties. Specifically, the bill applies the liability protection to claims arising from third-party speech rather than third-party information. Additionally, the liability protection shall not apply if a user or provider (1) accepts payment to make the speech available, or (2) creates or funds (in whole or in part) the speech. The bill changes legal procedures concerning the liability protection by (1) requiring a defendant in a lawsuit to raise the liability protection as an affirmative defense, and (2) placing the burden of proving that the defense applies on the defendant. Some courts have held that the current liability protection bars claims for civil penalties and injunctive relief. The bill expressly excludes from the liability protection requests for injunctive relief arising from a provider's failure to remove, restrict access to, or prevent dissemination of material likely to cause irreparable harm. However, the bill protects a provider from liability for actions taken to comply with such injunctions. Under current law, the liability protection does not apply to federal criminal law, intellectual property law, and other designated areas of law. The bill further specifies that the liability protection shall not apply to civil rights law; antitrust law; stalking, harassment, or intimidation laws; international human rights law; and civil actions for wrongful death.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2023
American Security Drone Act of 2023 This bill bans the procurement or use by the federal government of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that are manufactured or assembled by certain foreign entities, including entities subject to influence or control by China, with exceptions. The ban includes associated elements that enable the operator to operate the aircraft in the national airspace system. The Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Justice are exempt from the restriction under specified circumstances. The bill sets forth further exemptions regarding the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. All executive agencies must account for existing inventories of UAS manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity in their personal property accounting systems. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall prescribe regulations or guidance to implement this bill's requirements pertaining to federal contracts. Government-issued purchase cards may not be used to procure any UAS from a covered foreign entity. The Office of Management and Budget shall establish a government-wide policy for the procurement of UAS, taking into account information security. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment must report to Congress on the supply chain for certain UAS. The bill terminates five years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2023
Background Check Expansion Act This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2023
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2023 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2023 This bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosures of campaign expenditures, and requiring additional disclosures regarding certain political advertisements. Specifically, the bill expands existing foreign money prohibitions to include disbursements for paid web-based or digital communications and federal judicial nomination communications. It also prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to campaigns related to ballot initiatives and referenda. The Government Accountability Office must, for each four-year election cycle, study and report on the incidence of illicit foreign money in federal elections. Next, the bill makes it unlawful to establish or use a corporation, company, or other entity with the intent to conceal an election contribution or donation by a foreign national. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. Covered organizations (e.g., corporations, labor organizations, and political organizations) must, within 24 hours, file reports with the Federal Election Commission to disclose campaign expenditures of more than $10,000 during an election cycle. The bill also requires organizations to provide additional disclosures regarding political advertisements, including the donors who contributed the most money to that organization in the last year.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2023
Honest Ads Act This bill applies requirements, limitations, and protections regarding political advertising in traditional media to paid internet or digital political advertising. The bill sets forth special rules for disclosure statements for certain internet or digital ads. Each television or radio station, provider of cable or satellite television, or online platform must ensure that the political advertising it hosts is not directly or indirectly purchased by a foreign national. The bill outlines political record requirements for online platforms, including by requiring these platforms to publish a record of any qualified political advertisement purchased by a person whose aggregate purchases of qualified political advertisements on the platform during the calendar year exceeds $500. Additionally, these online platforms must display notices with online political advertisements that identify the sponsor of the advertisement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2023
This resolution supports the designation of February 2023 as Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate career and technical education across the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2023
Nuclear Fuel Security Act of 2023 This bill establishes new programs and expands existing programs to increase domestic supplies of certain types of low-enriched uranium. First, the Department of Energy (DOE) must establish a program to increase the production of certain types of low-enriched uranium by U.S. nuclear energy companies. Second, DOE must expand the existing American Assured Fuel Supply Program to ensure the availability of certain types of domestically produced uranium in the event of a supply disruption. Third, DOE must establish a demonstration program to make certain types of low-enriched uranium available from its inventories, stockpiles, or allies to meet the needs and schedules of advanced nuclear reactor developers until such time that commercial enrichment and deconversion capability for the uranium exists in the United States at a scale sufficient to meet future needs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2023
This resolution recognizes Black History Month as an opportunity to reflect on U.S. history and to commemorate the contributions of African Americans. It calls for the United States to (1) honor the contribution of pioneers who helped to ensure its legacy; and (2) move forward as a nation "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
![Official portrait of Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000805_200.jpg)