United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2023 This bill accelerates to the enactment date of this bill the deferral of tax (currently, after December 31, 2027) on sales of employer stock to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) sponsored by S corporations. It also eliminates the limitation on the amount that may be deferred. The Department of the Treasury must establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. The office must provide education and outreach about the benefits of employee ownership of S corporations and technical assistance to assist S corporations in sponsoring ESOPs. The bill directs the Department of Labor to appoint an Advocate for Employee Ownership.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2023
Break the Cycle of Violence Act This bill establishes federal grant programs and related entities to support violence intervention initiatives. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for coordinated community violence intervention initiatives in communities disproportionately impacted by homicides and community violence. HHS must also establish several related entities, including an Office of Community Violence Intervention to administer programs and activities related to violence intervention; the Community Violence Intervention Advisory Committee to advise and assist the office and HHS; and the National Community Violence Response Center to provide training and technical assistance, coordinate research, and develop data collection policies. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Labor to award grants for job training and workforce programs in communities disproportionately affected by gun violence to connect youth ages 16 to 24 to in-demand occupations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of 2023 This bill reauthorizes through FY2032 and expands the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. Through this program, the Health Resources and Services Administration provides loan repayment assistance to individuals who agree to work for a period of time in the field of substance use disorder treatment. In particular, the bill expands eligibility to include individuals who agree to work in mental health professional shortage areas for a period of time. The bill also allows the use of the loan repayment assistance to repay any loan incurred to obtain a post-graduate degree in a mental health or related field. (Current law limits the loans eligible for repayment to loans for education and training for substance use disorder treatment employment and specified nursing and federal education loans.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Preserving Family Farms Act of 2023 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to $13 million (currently, $750,000) the limitation on the special use valuation for farmland or other trades or businesses for estate tax purposes. The increased amount is adjusted for inflation for estates of decedents dying after 2023.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act This bill modifies the Conrad 30 Waiver program, which incentivizes qualified foreign physicians to serve in underserved communities. It also extends statutory authority for the program for three years from this bill's enactment. Aliens coming to the United States under a J-1 nonimmigrant visa to receive medical training typically must leave the country and reside for two years abroad before being eligible to apply for an immigrant visa or permanent residence. The Conrad program waives this requirement for individuals who meet certain qualifications, including serving for a number of years at a health care facility in an underserved area. The bill increases the number of waivers that a state may obtain each fiscal year from 30 to 35 if a certain number of waivers were used the previous year, and provides for further adjustments depending on demand. An alien physician may be employed at an academic medical center to meet the Conrad program's employment requirements if the alien's work is in the public interest, even if the medical center is not in an underserved area. Employment contracts for alien physicians under the Conrad program shall contain certain information, such as the maximum number of on-call hours per week the physician shall have to work. Certain alien physicians (along with the physician's spouse and children) shall be exempt from the direct annual numerical limits on immigration, including those physicians that have met certain requirements related to visas for physicians to serve in underserved areas.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2023 This bill accelerates to the enactment date of this bill the deferral of tax (currently, after December 31, 2027) on sales of employer stock to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) sponsored by S corporations. It also eliminates the limitation on the amount that may be deferred. The Department of the Treasury must establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. The office must provide education and outreach about the benefits of employee ownership of S corporations and technical assistance to assist S corporations in sponsoring ESOPs. The bill directs the Department of Labor to appoint an Advocate for Employee Ownership.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2023
This resolution recognizes the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and the contribution of hip-hop to American art and culture. Further, it encourages local governments to build partnerships with local hip-hop entities and other members of creative arts.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2023
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023 This bill expands Medicare coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity. Specifically, the bill allows coverage for therapy that is provided by (1) a physician who is not a primary care physician; or (2) other health care providers (e.g., physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and approved counseling programs, if provided upon a referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner. Currently, such therapy is covered only if provided by a primary care practitioner. The bill also allows coverage under Medicare's prescription drug benefit of drugs used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for individuals who are overweight.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2023
Rural Health Training Opportunities Act This bill modifies and expands the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program. Specifically, the Administration for Children and Families must prioritize grant applications for demonstration projects in rural areas, and projects must include assistance for the transportation costs of program participants. (The HPOG program provides education and training to low-income individuals for high-demand occupations in the health care field.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2023
Pathways to Health Careers Act This bill provides funding for, reauthorizes through FY2028, and makes a variety of changes to certain grants administered by the Department of Health and Human Services that provide education and training to low-income individuals for health care occupations, including by establishing a new competitive grant for projects designed to train low-income individuals in allied health professions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2023
Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act This bill provides for Medicare coverage of custom fabricated breast prostheses following the surgical removal of the breast (i.e., a mastectomy), including replacements of such prostheses. Currently, Medicare covers surgically implanted breast prostheses, as well as some external breast prostheses (e.g., post-surgical bras).
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2023
Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act of 2023 This bill provides funding for patient navigator grants to assist individuals in accessing abortion services. The Department of Health and Human Services must award the grants to state, tribal, or local governments; nonprofits; or community organizations that offer unbiased and medically accurate programs, services, or activities to connect individuals with abortion services. Grant-funded activities include, among others, coordinating the scheduling, financing, and other logistics of abortion services. Further, the bill prohibits individuals, entities, and states from preventing or otherwise disadvantaging an entity that is eligible to receive a grant from carrying out activities to assist individuals with accessing abortion services, including in any state in which those services are not lawful. Such activities include providing (or assisting in the provision of) abortion care and other reproductive health services that are either (1) lawful in the state where the services are provided, or (2) provided to an individual who does not reside in the state where the services are provided. The Department of Justice may bring civil actions for violations; the bill also provides for a private right of action.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2023
Food for Thought Act of 2023 This bill allows the Department of Education to award grants for eligible institutions of higher education to provide free meals to low-income students through on-campus meal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2023
Concentrating on High-value Alzheimer's Needs to Get to an End Act of 2023 or the CHANGE Act of 2023 This bill specifies that Medicare annual wellness visits and initial preventive physical examinations must include the use of an approved tool from the National Institute of Aging to detect cognitive impairment, as well as associated documentation of the tool that was used and the results.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2023
Community News and Small Business Support Act This bill allows certain small businesses and employers of journalists tax credits for advertising in local media and for the wages of not more than 1,500 local news journalists in any calendar quarter. Specifically, the tax credit for advertising in local media allows small businesses with less than 50 full-time employees a limited credit for the expense of advertising in a local newspaper, or in any licensed broadcast radio or television station that serves a local community. The credit for the wages of a local news journalist is a payroll tax credit that takes into account wages not exceeding $12,500 in any calendar quarter.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2023
Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program within the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under the bill, USDA must establish and maintain (directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement) a program to help eligible hospital facilities in rural areas with a population of 50,000 inhabitants or less. The program must provide tailored technical assistance and training to hospital facilities to identify development needs for maintaining essential health care services and support action plans for financial, operational, and quality improvement projects to meet these needs. Development needs include (1) constructing, expanding, and modernizing health care facilities; (2) increasing telehealth capabilities; and (3) acquiring or upgrading health care information systems (e.g., electronic health records). The program must also provide technical assistance and training to help hospital facilities to better manage their financial and business strategies and identify, and apply for assistance from, USDA loan and grant programs. In selecting eligible hospital facilities to participate in the program, USDA must give priority to borrowers and grantees of certain USDA rural assistance programs. USDA must also submit an annual report to Congress on the progress and results of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2023
Freedom to Vote Act This bill addresses voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls. Next, the bill establishes Election Day as a federal holiday. The bill declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence. The bill establishes certain federal criminal offenses related to voting. In particular, the bill establishes a new criminal offense for conduct (or attempted conduct) to corruptly hinder, interfere with, or prevent another person from registering to vote or helping someone register to vote. Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including by requiring states to conduct post-election audits for federal elections. The bill outlines criteria for congressional redistricting and generally prohibits mid-decade redistricting. The bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2023
This joint resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, was ratified by more than three-fourths of the states and is therefore a valid constitutional amendment, effective January 27, 2020 (the date of Virginia's ratification). The Equal Rights Amendment was originally proposed to the states in 1972. The original proposal included a deadline for ratification of March 22, 1979; Congress subsequently extended the deadline to June 30, 1982. Although the requisite 38 states have ratified the amendment, three of these states did so after the deadlines, and five states subsequently rescinded their ratifications. The status of the amendment has been the subject of litigation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2023
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that research and promotion boards support efforts to develop new markets and strengthen existing markets via research, education, and promotion.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2023
Social Security 2100 Act This bill modifies the Social Security system, particularly with respect to benefit calculations, fund administration, and beneficiary resources. For example, the bill temporarily increases the primary insurance amount for Social Security benefits for all individuals (from 90% of a certain portion of average indexed monthly earnings to 93%). It also modifies benefit calculations for certain individuals, including by temporarily (1) increasing benefits for widows or widowers in two-income households; and (2) allowing children of a deceased, disabled, or retired worker to remain eligible for benefits through age 25 if they are full-time students. Additionally, the bill temporarily eliminates (1) the government pension offset , which reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own; and (2) the windfall elimination provision , which reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. The bill also modifies the financing and administration of the Social Security trust funds. For example, the bill (1) subjects income over $400,000 to Social Security payroll taxes, and (2) combines the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund into a single Social Security Trust Fund. Finally, the bill establishes requirements relating to Social Security services and resources, including by prohibiting the closure of field offices unless certain conditions are met (e.g., public hearings).
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2023
Advancing Maternal Health Equity Under Medicaid Act This bill provides a 90% federal matching rate for Medicaid maternal health care expenditures that exceed 2019 levels. Qualifying services must be provided by maternity care providers or perinatal health workers (e.g., doulas) and include prenatal and postpartum telehealth services, home visits, and behavioral health care.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2023
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand research on, and take other actions to address, uterine fibroids. These are muscular tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus and may cause pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, and reproductive issues. In coordination with the National Institutes of Health and appropriate federal agencies, HHS must undertake research activities on uterine fibroids. In addition, HHS must establish a database of services furnished to individuals diagnosed with uterine fibroids under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program and must develop a report on federal and state expenditures for such services. Additionally, HHS must disseminate information on uterine fibroids to the public and to health care providers, including information on the elevated risk for minority women and available treatments.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2023
Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an interagency review of the status of women and lung cancer. The review must report on the status of existing research and current knowledge gaps; identify new opportunities for collaborative research to determine the causes of lung cancer and advance prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment; and provide recommendations for a national cancer screening strategy and public education campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2023
Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and modifies various grants, programs, and activities that address substance use and misuse. This includes reauthorizing (1) data collection, education, and surveillance activities; (2) grants and other support for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery; (3) student loan repayment and other programs for the substance use disorder workforce; and (4) programs for addressing trauma, particularly for children, youth, and their families. Generally, the modifications expand programs. Additionally, the bill modifies provisions related to the scheduling of controlled substances, including by incorporating illicit xylazine (a compound used in veterinary medicine as a nonopioid tranquilizer) into schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Further, the bill makes permanent a requirement that Medicaid programs cover medication-assisted treatment for individuals with substance use disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2023
This resolution expresses support for the designation of Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day. (A journeyman lineworker is a person who builds and maintains electrical power systems.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2023
This bill directs the Department of Education to make allotments to state educational agencies to assist states, local educational agencies, and educational service agencies in recruiting and retaining paraprofessionals in public elementary schools, secondary schools, and preschool programs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2023
IDEA Full Funding Act This bill provides permanent, mandatory funding for the grant program that assists states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2023
Performance, Resources, Inclusion, Matters, for Equity Act or the PRIME Act This bill requires the Department of Education to award competitive grants to covered institutions for athletic programs and facilities. Covered institution refers to an institution of higher education with an endowment fund that is less than $900,000,000 and that has an athletic program with an annual operating revenue that is less than $20,000,000. Grant recipients may use these funds to (1) develop, maintain, or enhance any facility, equipment, or infrastructure (e.g., stadiums, gyms, or fields) for any athletic program offered by the institution; or (2) purchase and maintain materials, sporting equipment, and uniforms needed to conduct or produce a live sporting event in accordance with the most recent guidelines issued by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, or the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2023
Period PROUD (Providing Resources for Our Underserved and Disadvantaged) Act of 2023 This bill provides additional funding through FY2028 for the Social Services Block Grant to support the provision of menstrual products (e.g., menstrual cups and underwear, sanitary napkins, and tampons) to low-income individuals. (This grant is a flexible funding stream used by states and territories to support a wide range of social services.) The bill also exempts the additional funds from sequestration. Sequestration is a process of automatic, across-the-board reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2023
Expanding Access to High-Impact Tutoring Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to state educational agencies and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for implementing, administering, and evaluating tutoring programs in elementary and secondary schools. Additionally, the bill directs ED to establish an advisory board. Among its duties, the advisory board must (1) evaluate and approve plans to ensure that LEAs will meet tutoring program requirements, (2) provide technical assistance and guidance to grant recipients, and (3) develop a nationwide tutoring workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2023
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that (1) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) rights are human rights and protected by the U.S. Constitution; (2) LGBTQIA+ Pride Month should be celebrated; and (3) all Americans should be treated equally regardless of sexual orientation, sex characteristics, or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2023
PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2023 This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover prescription drugs that prevent HIV, including related screenings, diagnostic procedures, administrative fees, and clinical follow-ups, without any cost-sharing obligation for the plan holder. Further, insurance plans must not impose any preauthorization requirement for this coverage. These coverage requirements also apply to public health insurance programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Additionally, the bill prohibits denying, limiting, or qualifying coverage or increasing premiums for disability insurance, long-term care insurance, or life insurance policies based on an individual taking medication for HIV prevention. The bill further requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states, or directly to eligible local organizations, to provide uninsured individuals and underinsured individuals access to prescription drugs and related services that prevent HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also must develop a public awareness campaign that focuses efforts in communities with a high need for HIV prevention treatment. HHS, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Treasury must enforce and report on private insurers' compliance with the bill's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2023
Survival Aid For Emergencies through Medicare Act or the SAFE through Medicare Act This bill provides for Medicare coverage of medically necessary services for beneficiaries who are determined to be medically at-risk during a climate or manmade disaster (i.e., home resiliency services), such as heat pumps, batteries for medical equipment, and energy efficient storage for medical supplies.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2023
This resolution expresses condemnation for criminalizing the provision of and access to reproductive health care services, including abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care. It further expresses support for efforts to expand access to such services.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2023
This resolution expresses support for (1) equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics; and (2) the designation of LGBTQI+ Equality Day to commemorate Supreme Court decisions handed down on June 26 in 2003, 2013, and 2015. The resolution also acknowledges the need for further legislation to ensure that people in the United States are free from all forms of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2023
Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Patient-Centered Care Act This bill prohibits payment under Medicare for a prosthesis, custom-fabricated orthosis, or off-the-shelf orthotics that is delivered via a drop shipment (i.e., shipped to an individual who does not have training in how to properly fit or care for the device). It also specifically allows for payment of replacements of custom-fitted devices.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2023
Comprehensive Cancer Survivorship Act This bill establishes programs and requirements to support the provision of services for cancer survivors, including health care, employment, and supportive services. For example, the bill provides for Medicare coverage of cancer care planning and coordination services (i.e., treatment plans that are developed by physicians or other providers). It also establishes grant programs for navigation services for cancer survivors with respect to follow-up services (e.g., screenings) and other support. Additionally, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation must test a model to provide cancer survivorship care planning for children under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The bill also provides for other services and support for cancer survivors, including (1) a grant program to provide employment assistance for cancer survivors, including trainings, transportation, and childcare; and (2) Medicaid and CHIP coverage of fertility services for those with cancer and for cancer survivors.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2023
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should develop quality measures to prevent mobility loss among hospitalized patients.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 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 · 23 June 2023
Permanent CFC Look-Through Act of 2023 This rule makes permanent the look-through rule for related controlled foreign corporations (CFCs). That rule provides that dividends, interest, rents and royalties one CFC receives from a related CFC are not treated as foreign personal holding company income (thus permitting the deferral of tax on such income).
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2023
VA Loan Informed Disclosure Act of 2023 or the VALID Act of 2023 The bill requires a Federal Housing Administration mortgage notice to contain comparative rate and fee information about loans available under the Department of Veterans Affairs home loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2023
Stop Fentanyl Now Act of 2023 This bill establishes several programs and requirements to address the use of fentanyl and related substances. For example, the bill expands the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to include training and resources for teachers on how to carry and administer opioid overdose reversal drugs (e.g., naloxone). DOJ must also increase resources and establish an interagency task force for law enforcement agencies to combat the trafficking of fentanyl, fentanyl-related, and fentanyl-laced substances. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must develop a national strategy to prevent the use of these substances, award grants to state and localities for treatment programs for those who are addicted to these substances, and research the health effects of these substances. The bill also increases criminal penalties for adulterating or misbranding drugs if the violation results in serious bodily injury or death (imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $1 million, or both for violations that result in serious bodily injury, and up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $5 million, or both for violations that result in death). Penalties are higher for violations that include the intent to defraud or mislead. The bill adds up to 5 years of additional imprisonment if the violation involves drugs that are promoted or sold online. Furthermore, the bill exempts the possession, sale, or purchase of fentanyl drug testing equipment, including test strips, from criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2023
American Worker and Trade Competitiveness Act This bill reauthorizes and revises specified U.S. trade programs and provisions. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through FY2030 and revises the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, including by expanding program eligibility to additional workers, establishing a child and other dependent care allowance, and increasing the maximum benefit of wage insurance. It also permanently extends the tax credit for health insurance costs and increases the percentage of the credit. The bill extends through December 31, 2026, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which provides duty-free treatment to products imported from designated beneficiary countries. The bill makes changes to the GSP, including by (1) adding other criteria for designation as a beneficiary developing country, (2) requiring a review of laws relating to worker and gender rights, and (3) requiring a study on rules of origin and GSP utilization rates. Additionally, the bill provides through December 31, 2024, and retroactively applies to 120 days before this bill's enactment, temporary duty suspensions or reductions to eligible imported products. This authorization is commonly known as the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB). The last version of the MTB was enacted in September 2018 and the temporary treatment for those products listed in the MTB expired on December 31, 2020. The bill extends the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 for two future MTB cycles (one in 2023 and one in 2026). This extension allows the U.S. International Trade Commission to conduct the MTB petition, review, and recommendation process for those additional cycles.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2023
Amputation Reduction and Compassion Act of 2023 or the ARC Act of 2023 This bill provides for coverage of peripheral artery disease screening tests without cost-sharing under Medicare and Medicaid for certain at-risk individuals. It also requires the development of certain educational programs, a payment model, and Medicare quality measures to reduce amputations relating to such disease.
![Official portrait of Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001185_200.jpg)