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![Official portrait of Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000617_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
3,504 records where Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2023
This resolution supports the designation of National Gun Violence Awareness Month and the designation of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2023
Retail Revitalization Act of 2023 This bill amends tax rules for real estate investment trusts (REITs). It increases (1) the share of equity investments a distressed retail tenant may receive from a REIT from 10% to 50%, and (2) the equity share for regular tenants from 10% to 30%. The bill also allows taxable REIT subsidiaries to accept equity in a retail tenant's businesses as a form of rent, subject to certain restrictions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act of 2023 This bill authorizes payment changes under Medicare for air ambulance services based on certain collected data and requires additional reporting from providers of these services. Current law requires providers of air ambulance services to report certain information regarding general costs and utilization to the Department of Health and Human Services; private health insurers are also required to report information relating to coverage of these services. The bill authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to revise payment rates under Medicare for air ambulance services based on this data, and it requires providers of air ambulance services to specifically report information relating to costs and utilization under Medicare. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the data that is collected under current law requirements and to recommend changes to Medicare payment rates accordingly.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2023 This bill provides specific statutory authority for the Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) State Educational Agency Grant Program that is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The program supports school-based mental health services, including screening, treatment, and outreach programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to undertake various activities to address mental and behavioral health issues among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations. Specifically, SAMHSA must develop and implement an outreach and education strategy to promote behavioral and mental health and reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance abuse among AANHPI populations. Additionally, SAMHSA must study (1) mental health and substance use disorders among AANHPI youth, including the number of individuals who attempted suicide or died by suicide or drug overdose; and (2) strategies for increasing AANHPI representation in the behavioral and mental health workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
This resolution encourages the President and the Senate to work with the House of Representatives to avoid or mitigate double taxation between the United States and Taiwan. The resolution also encourages the President to seek additional ways to increase U.S. trade, technology, and investment ties with Taiwan.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Access Technology Affordability Act of 202 3 This bill allows a refundable tax credit equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. Qualified access technology is hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats usable by blind individuals. The credit is limited to (1) costs that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years. The credit must be adjusted for inflation after 2024 and terminates after 2028.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2023
Financing Our Energy Future Act This bill expands the types of partnerships that qualify for treatment as publicly traded partnerships instead of as corporations for tax purposes. Under current law, partnerships that meet certain gross income requirements (i.e., at least 90% of the partnership's gross income in a taxable year consists of qualifying income) are excepted from being treated as a corporation for tax purposes. This bill expands the sources of income that are considered qualifying income and make a partnership eligible for such an exception. Specifically, the bill provides that income derived from the generation of specified alternative energy, alternative fuel projects, or the associated property, storage, or transportation for such projects (e.g., the conversion of renewable biomass into renewable fuel or the storage or transportation of such fuel) is considered qualifying income.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2023
Menstrual Equity For All Act of 2023 This bill expands access to menstrual products through federal programs, in certain locations, and for particular groups. It also prohibits states and localities from taxing retail sales of a range of menstrual products (e.g., sanitary napkins, tampons, and menstrual cups). The bill expands access to that range of menstrual products by requiring Medicaid to cover those products, establishing a grant program in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to provide benefits to ensure access to those products, and increasing Social Services Block Grant funding for providing those products to low-income individuals and exempting that increase from sequestration (a process of automatic, usually across-the-board cancellations of budgetary resources to enforce specific budget policy goals). Additionally, the bill sets out requirements to make free sanitary napkins and tampons available in federal and state correctional facilities (including Department of Homeland Security detention facilities) and restrooms in federal buildings that are open to the public. Further, the bill (1) establishes a grant program to support the provision of free sanitary napkins and tampons on campuses of institutions of higher education, and (2) permits elementary and secondary schools to use certain grants to provide sanitary napkins and tampons to students. In addition, the bill requires employers with at least 100 employees to provide free sanitary napkins and tampons for employees. It also permits the Emergency Food and Shelter Program to provide sanitary napkins and tampons to homeless individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2023
After Hours Child Care Act This bill establishes a pilot program for the Administration for Children & Families to award grants to increase the capacity of child care providers to deliver services to families in which a parent is working nontraditional work hours (e.g., before 9:00 a.m., after 5:00 p.m., or on a Saturday or Sunday).
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2023
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should ensure that the U.S. Postal Service is not privatized and remains an independent establishment of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2023
Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish grants to support sex education and sexual health services for young people (ages 10 through 29) and repeals requirements that apply to certain federally funded sex education programs. HHS must award grants, in coordination with the Department of Education, to (1) provide sex education to young people; and (2) train education professionals to effectively teach, and otherwise support, sex education. Sex education refers to high quality teaching and learning that follows, to the maximum extent practicable, specified educational standards; covers a variety of topics concerning sex and sexuality; explores values and beliefs about those topics; and helps young people gain skills to navigate relationships and manage sexual health. Additionally, HHS must award grants to youth-serving organizations and health care entities that are eligible to receive covered outpatient drugs at reduced prices through the 340B drug discount program for providing sexual health services to marginalized youth. Recipients of any of these grants must comply with certain nondiscrimination requirements. In addition, they may not use funds for sex education programs or sexual health services that provide incomplete or inaccurate medical information or fail to address specified issues. The bill also eliminates prohibitions regarding the content of specified federally funded sexual health education and information programs and repeals the Abstinence Only Until Marriage program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Save America's Forgotten Equines Act of 2023 or the SAFE Act of 2023 This bill permanently prohibits the slaughter of equines (e.g., horses and mules) for human consumption. (Current law prohibits the slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption. This bill extends the prohibition to equines.) Specifically, this bill prohibits a person from knowingly slaughtering an equine for human consumption; or shipping, transporting, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donating an equine to be slaughtered for human consumption or equine parts for human consumption. The bill subjects a violator to a fine. The bill applies to conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. However, it does not apply to an activity carried out by an Indian for a religious ceremony. In recent years, appropriations acts have prohibited the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using federal funds to inspect horses before they are slaughtered for human consumption. Therefore, there are currently no USDA-inspected horse slaughter facilities in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
This resolution supports the designation of Glioblastoma Awareness Day. Glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumor.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Perinatal Workforce Act This bill establishes programs and requires research to diversify the perinatal workforce and advance respectful maternal care delivery models. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants to education and training programs to grow and diversify the professions that make up the perinatal workforce. HHS must also disseminate guidance on respectful maternal care delivery. This guidance must cover, among other topics, recruiting and retaining maternity care providers from diverse backgrounds and incorporating trained midwives and other perinatal health workers into maternity care teams. In addition, the National Institutes of Health must study best practices for culturally and linguistically congruent maternity care. This is care that is in agreement with the preferred cultural values, beliefs, languages, worldview, and practices of health care consumers and other stakeholders. The Government Accountability Office must also report on certain aspects of perinatal health care professions. The report must focus on barriers to entering those professions for low-income and minority women.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Keeping All Students Safe Act This bill prohibits the use of seclusion and limits the use of physical restraint in schools and Head Start programs that receive federal funding. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of seclusion, which is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. The term does not include a time out, which may involve separating the student from others in a non-locked setting. The bill prohibits the use of mechanical or chemical restraints or physical restraints that restrict breathing or are life threatening. The bill outlines the requirements for the use of physical restraint, including that the student's behavior must pose an imminent danger of serious physical injury to the student or other individual. Each state must ensure that a sufficient number of program personnel are trained and certified by a state-approved crisis intervention training program. Additionally, each program must establish procedures to follow after an incident involving physical restraint. Further, the bill establishes enforcement provisions, including a private right of action for a student who has been subjected to unlawful seclusion or restraint. The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services must withhold payments from a program for unlawful seclusion or restraint. Finally, the bill requires each state educational agency (SEA) to establish, implement, and enforce policies and procedures required by the bill. It also creates a grant program to assist SEAs with these activities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to award grants for FY2024, on a competitive basis, to states, local governments, or nonprofit organizations to support broad innovation and experimentation with respect to portable benefits. Portable benefits are work-related benefits that are provided to workers who are not traditional full-time employees in a manner that allows the worker to maintain the benefits upon changing jobs. The grants must be used for (1) the evaluation, or improvement to the design or implementation, of existing models or approaches for providing portable benefits; or (2) the design, implementation, and evaluation of new models or approaches for providing such benefits. The grants may not be used for a model or approach that provides only retirement-related benefits. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate and report to Congress on the outcome of the grants awarded pursuant to this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Cut Red Tape For Online Sales Act 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 $5,000 or more. 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. The bill also requires entities that report income to to issue a plain-language description of the taxability of income reported on Form 1099-K.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2023
Doxing Threat Assessment Act This bill requires the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and disseminate a threat assessment regarding the use of cyber harassment, including doxing, by terrorists and foreign malicious actors. Doxing means knowingly publishing the personally identifiable information of another individual, without the individual's consent and with intent to threaten, intimidate, harass, or stalk any person; facilitate another to threaten, intimidate, harass, or stalk any person; incite or facilitate the commission of a crime of violence against any person; or place any person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury. The threat assessment (1) shall be developed in coordination with the DHS Privacy Office and the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and (2) may be informed by existing products. I&A shall, consistent with the protection of classified and confidential unclassified information (1) disseminate the threat assessment with state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials; and (2) ensure that a version of the assessment is published on the DHS website within 30 days of dissemination to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Give Kids a Chance Act of 2023 This bill authorizes certain targeted clinical trials involving combinations of drugs to treat pediatric cancer. Specifically, the bill modifies requirements relating to molecularly targeted pediatric cancer investigations so as to authorize investigations of new drugs that are used in combination with active ingredients that have already been approved and that (1) have been determined to be the standard of care for treating a pediatric cancer, or (2) have been approved to treat an adult cancer and are directed at molecular targets for pediatric cancer. The Food and Drug Administration must issue guidance and report on the bill's implementation. The Government Accountability Office must report on the effectiveness of the bill's changes with respect to the development of pediatric cancer drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
United States Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act of 2023 This bill recognizes service as a member of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps between July 1, 1943, and December 31, 1948, as active duty service. The active duty designation entitles qualifying individuals to certain benefits afforded to veterans, such as burial benefits (not including interment or inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery) and honorary veteran status. Under the bill, the Department of Defense (DOD) must issue individuals who served in the corps during the specified period a discharge from their service under honorable conditions if such a discharge is warranted based on the duration and nature of the service. Such individuals are not entitled to Department of Veterans Affairs benefits aside from those related to burials and memorials. The bill also authorizes DOD to produce a service medal or other commendation, memorial plaque, or grave marker to honor the individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
America's CHILDREN Act of 2023 or the Protecting Children of Long-Term Visa Holders Act of 2023 This bill provides lawful permanent resident status to certain college graduates who entered the United States as children and addresses other immigration-related issues. Specifically, this bill allows a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) to apply for lawful permanent resident status if the individual (1) was lawfully present in the United States as a dependent child of an individual admitted for employment, (2) was in the United States with such status for at least eight years, (3) has graduated from an institution of higher education in the United States, and (4) is not deportable or otherwise inadmissible. In addition, the individual must have been lawfully present in the United States for at least 10 years at the time of the application. The bill also modifies various provisions related to calculating an individual's age for immigration purposes and the priority date of certain immigration-related applications. For example, to determine whether an individual is a dependent child for certain immigration petitions, the individual's age at the time a petition is filed shall be the age used for that determination. (Currently, this determination for some petitions is based on the individual's age at the time a visa becomes available, so it is possible for an individual to be a dependent child when filing a petition but become too old to qualify by the time the visa is available.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Teaching Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History Act This bill requires entities (e.g., institutions of higher education, libraries, and museums), in order to be eligible for certain grants administered by the Department of Education (ED), to include Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history in their teaching of American history. It also requires Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history to be included in tests administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Specifically, the bill mandates the inclusion of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history as a required component of American history for such entities to be eligible for American History and Civics Academies' competitive grants. These grants support the establishment of (1) Presidential Academies for Teachers of American History and Civics, which offer workshops to teachers of American history and civics to strengthen their knowledge and prepare them to teach in these subjects; and (2) Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics, which support high school students in developing an understanding of these subjects. (Currently, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is not a required component of American history for either academy.) In addition, ED must give priority to grant applicants that align their activities with programs and resources of the Smithsonian Institution's Asian Pacific American Center. The bill also requires the inclusion of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history in tests administered by the NAEP, which measures student academic achievement in various subjects.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Youth Workforce Readiness Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Labor to award grants to certain national youth-serving organizations for comprehensive workforce readiness programs that are provided to youth and take place before or after school, during summer vacation or a holiday, or on the weekend (i.e., out-of-school-time programs). Such grants must be used to develop and implement nationwide youth workforce readiness programs, including for activities such as on-the-job training and leadership development opportunities, internships, and other supportive services. The bill also requires local workforce development boards to establish youth councils as subgroups of the boards.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
This concurrent resolution affirms, more than 400 years after the arrival of the first slave ship, that the United States owes a debt of remembrance to those who lived through slavery or other historical injustices against people of color, as well as to their descendants. It also urges the establishment of a U.S. Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
This resolution condemns the great replacement theory, which it describes as a white supremacist conspiracy theory that has been used to falsely justify racially motivated, violent acts of terrorism domestically and internationally.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2023
Strength in Diversity Act of 2023 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education may award planning and implementation grants to specified educational agencies (e.g., local educational agencies) to improve diversity and reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic isolation in publicly funded early childhood education programs, public elementary schools, or public secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2023
Early STEAM Achievement Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to early childhood education programs to carry out early childhood STEAM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) programs and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Maternal Health for Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report annually through FY2028 on its activities relating to the coordination of maternity health care. The reports must also include (1) data on the maternal health outcomes of veterans who receive medical care or services from the VA or a non-VA provider that is authorized to provide care or services under VA programs, and (2) VA recommendations to improve the maternal health outcomes of veterans. The reports must be made publicly available. The bill also authorizes funding through FY2028 for VA programs relating to the coordination of maternity health care.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Historic Preservation Fund Reauthorization Act This bill extends through FY2033 and increases funding for the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund. The funding is provided from revenues from Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leases, and awards from the fund are made to states and other entities, including tribes and nonprofits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Maternal Vaccination Act This bill includes a focus on pregnant and postpartum individuals in existing public health activities to increase vaccination rates. First, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must incorporate a focus on pregnant and postpartum individuals, including by disseminating information to obstetric health care providers, into its existing public awareness campaign about the importance of vaccinations. The bill also reauthorizes this campaign through FY2028. Second, the bill expressly allows certain project grants for preventive health services to be used for activities to increase vaccination rates of pregnant and postpartum individuals (and their children).
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Kira Johnson Act This bill establishes various grants for establishing or expanding programs to advance maternal health equity. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants for community-based programs to improve maternal health outcomes for demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, maternal health disparities, and other adverse outcomes; training for health care providers and others who work in maternity care settings on reducing and preventing racism, bias, and discrimination; and programs in hospitals, health systems, and other maternity care settings to establish processes to identify and address instances of racism or evidence of bias in maternity care (i.e., respectful maternity care compliance programs). HHS must contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study issues related to the training programs, and the Government Accountability Office must study issues related to the respectful maternity care compliance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Data to Save Moms Act This bill expands data collection and research on maternal morbidity and mortality among racial and ethnic minority groups. Specifically, the bill adds requirements to certain grants awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for maternal mortality review committees. To the extent practicable, grant-funded committees must use the most up-to-date indicators of severe maternal morbidity; review deaths caused by suicide, overdose, or other behavioral health conditions attributed to or aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth; and consult with representatives of communities disproportionately affected by adverse maternal outcomes about nonclinical factors that may contribute to those outcomes. The CDC may also award grants to committees to increase their engagement with local communities, such as by bringing on community representatives as committee members. Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must consult with stakeholders to review maternal health data collection processes and quality measures and make recommendations to improve them. The Department of Health and Human Services must also support studies on adverse maternal health outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native populations and other racial and ethnic minority groups.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Social Determinants for Moms Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a task force and a grant program to address social determinants of maternal health. These are nonmedical factors that impact maternal health outcomes, such as transportation, food security, and economic security. The task force, composed of federal and nonfederal stakeholders, must develop strategies and coordinate efforts to eliminate preventable maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal health disparities. Additionally, HHS must award grants to community-based organizations, nonprofits, tribal organizations, public health departments, or consortia of these entities to address social determinants of maternal health and eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Moms Matter Act This bill establishes two grant programs to address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, with a focus on demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, maternal health disparities, and other adverse outcomes. First, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must award grants for maternal behavioral health services and education and training for health care providers about maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders in pregnancy. Eligible grantees include (1) state, tribal, and local governments; (2) health care providers; and (3) organizations that serve pregnant and postpartum individuals. Second, the Department of Health and Human Services may award grants to grow and diversify the maternal mental and behavioral health workforce by establishing or expanding schools and training programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Innovative Maternal Payment and Coverage To Save Moms Act or the IMPACT to Save Moms Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a demonstration program to test alternative payment models under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for maternity care. The CMS may consider payment models that include or are designed to address certain areas, such as improved maternal health outcomes for at-risk demographic groups, consideration of social determinants of health, or incorporation of diverse maternity care teams or settings. The CMS must evaluate the program's impact on maternal health outcomes, spending, patient experience, and other relevant areas.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act This bill addresses data collection, public education, workplace safety, and other matters related to maternal health during public health emergencies. Specifically, the bill supports (1) various programs and initiatives carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect data about maternal health, including racial, ethnic, and other demographic data; and (2) research activities of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additionally, the CDC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must make publicly available and periodically update pregnancy and postpartum data that is collected through federal surveillance systems during public health emergencies. The data must be disaggregated by factors such as race, ethnicity, insurance status, and location. Further, the CDC must carry out a program to educate pregnant individuals, their employers, and their health care providers about maternal and infant health risks during public health emergencies. The bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to convene a task force to develop recommendations on the provision of maternity care during public health emergencies with a particular focus on communities of color and rural populations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act This bill establishes requirements and grants that address risks associated with climate change, particularly for vulnerable individuals (i.e., members of racial and ethnic minority groups, pregnant or postpartum individuals, and children younger than age three). Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish a program to award grants to partnerships of community-based organizations and other entities to identify and address climate-change-related risks to these individuals at a county level. HHS must also establish a program to award grants to health professional schools for developing—and integrating into their curriculums—education and training on identifying risks associated with climate change for vulnerable individuals. In addition, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) must establish the Consortium on Birth and Climate Change Research. The consortium must coordinate research on such risks conducted and supported by various NIH institutes and offices. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must also develop a strategy to designate areas that have a high risk of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes among vulnerable individuals due to risks associated with climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act This bill directs multi-agency efforts to improve maternal health with a particular focus on racial and ethnic minority groups, veterans, and other vulnerable populations. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must address the social determinants of maternal health (i.e., child care, housing, and other nonmedical factors that affect health outcomes). HHS and other departments must also carry out other actions to increase access to maternal health care and otherwise improve maternal health, such as growing and diversifying the maternal health workforce; establishing various grants and other programs, including ones related to maternal health disparities and maternal behavioral health; testing alternative payment models for perinatal care in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP); addressing maternal health during public health emergencies; and supporting training, technology, and telehealth initiatives. The bill further provides for extended postpartum and breastfeeding eligibility for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; increased research and data collection on maternal health indicators; activities to mitigate adverse maternal health outcomes associated with climate change; and expanded public education to improve maternal vaccination rates. The bill also addresses maternal health for incarcerated populations. For example, it (1) requires the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice to establish programs to improve maternity care; and (2) reduces grants for criminal justice activities unless the recipient state or territory has a law to limit the use of restraints during pregnancy for incarcerated populations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Extending WIC for New Moms Act This bill amends the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to extend the eligibility periods for breastfeeding and postpartum women. Specifically, a state program may elect to certify a breastfeeding woman for up to 24 months (currently 1 year) postpartum. The bill also expands the eligibility period for postpartum women to up to 24 months after termination of pregnancy (currently 6 months). The Department of Agriculture must submit a report to Congress evaluating the effect of these changes to the program on (1) maternal and infant health outcomes, (2) breastfeeding rates, and (3) qualitative evaluations of family experiences under WIC.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Diwali Day Act This bill establishes Diwali, also known as Deepavali, as a federal holiday.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2023
Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act This bill establishes new requirements related to grants, programs, and reports to improve the treatment and care of pregnant and postpartum women who are incarcerated. Specifically, the bill requires the following: states must restrict the use of restraints on pregnant women in prison in order to receive full funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program; the Bureau of Prisons must establish programs to optimize maternal health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women in federal prisons; the Bureau of Justice Assistance must award state grants for programs to support pregnant and postpartum women in state and local prisons and jails; and the Government Accountability Office must report on adverse maternal and infant health outcomes among incarcerated individuals and infants born to such individuals, with a particular focus on racial and ethnic disparities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Freight Rail Workforce Health and Safety Act This bill requires Class I railroad carriers to provide employees with at least seven days of paid sick leave per calendar year. Other forms of accrued leave or unpaid leave (e.g., personal days and vacation) do not count as days of paid sick leave. An employee's unused paid sick leave must carry over annually on January 1. An employee must be permitted to use paid sick leave for reasons including a physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition; obtaining diagnosis, care, or preventive care; caring for the child, parent, spouse, or domestic partner of an employee, or other related individual; or an absence resulting from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. An employee must request leave seven days in advance for foreseeable leave and as soon as practicable for unforeseeable requests. Use of leave cannot be contingent on the requesting employee finding a replacement to cover any work time to be missed. Further, a railroad carrier may not retaliate against an employee (e.g., dismiss, suspend, discipline, or deny promotion) for requesting the use of or having used paid sick leave. The bill includes an enforcement provision prohibiting the Department of Transportation from approving a mandatory plan under the Risk Reduction Program for any railroad carrier that has not complied with the bill's paid sick leave requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
This resolution recognizes the significance of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Respect for Grieving Military Families Act This bill addresses the overpayment of retired or retainer pay to a joint account (bearing the name of the decedent and the decedent's designated beneficiary) during the month of the death of a retired member of the armed forces. Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to forgive or offset the overpayment if the decedent was enrolled in the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). In the case of an offset, each of the first 12 SBP annuity payments after the death of the retired service member must be reduced by one-twelfth of the overpayment. If the decedent was not enrolled in the SBP, DOD is authorized to forgive the overpayment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Diversifying by Investing in Educators and Students to Improve Outcomes For Youth Act or the Diversify Act This bill revises the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program. The TEACH program awards grants to undergraduate and graduate students who commit to teaching in a high-need field and in an elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students. First, the bill raises the maximum amount for TEACH grants. Second, the bill allows TEACH grants to cover the full cost of attendance. Currently, these grants may be used only for tuition, fees, and on-campus housing. The bill allows teaching in a high-need early childhood education program to count toward service requirements for the program. Next, the bill eliminates the process for converting a TEACH grant to a loan if a recipient does not complete the requirements of the program. Further, the bill prohibits the Department of Education (ED) from instituting or creating a monetary penalty for failure or refusal to complete the service requirement. In addition, the bill requires ED to send an electronic certificate to grant recipients who have completed their service requirement. The bill also exempts the TEACH program from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2023
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2023 This bill revises provisions of the low-income housing tax credit and renames it as the affordable housing tax credit . The bill increases the per capita dollar amount of the credit and its minimum ceiling amount beginning in 2023 and extends the inflation adjustment for such amounts. The bill modifies tenant income eligibility requirements and the average income formula for determining such income. It also revises rules for student occupancy of rental units and tenant voucher payments, and prohibits any refusal to rent to victims of domestic abuse. The bill further modifies the credit to increase state allocations of the credit; repeal the qualified census tract population cap; prohibit consideration of local approval and local government contribution requirements for housing projects; increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households; increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies; eliminate the basis reduction for properties that receive certain energy-related tax benefits; and increase the population cap for difficult development areas (i.e., areas with high construction, land, and utility costs relative to area median gross income). The bill also includes Indian and rural areas as difficult development areas and modifies other requirements relating to casualty losses, tax-exempt bond financing, and foreclosures.