HR 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, amends Title IX to prohibit federally funded schools and athletic programs from allowing individuals assigned male at birth to participate in women's or girls' sports teams. The bill defines "sex" for this purpose as "reproductive biology and genetics at birth," making it a violation of federal law to permit such participation in designated women's or girls' programs. It allows males to train with women's teams only if no female is deprived of a roster spot, competition opportunity, scholarship, or other benefit tied to the team. This law directly affects public and private schools receiving federal financial assistance that operate athletic programs.
HR 2808, the Arnold Daniel Palmer Commemorative Coin Act, authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce three commemorative coins in 2029 honoring golfer Arnold Palmer: $5 gold coins (50,000 max), $1 silver coins (400,000 max), and half-dollar clad coins (750,000 max). The bill requires coin designs to feature Palmer's image and includes surcharges ($35 for gold, $10 for silver, $5 for half-dollar) that fund the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. All surcharge revenue must support the Foundation's work in youth health, character development through golf, and nature wellness programs. The coins are legal tender but will only be issued in 2029, with all funds covering minting costs before surcharges are directed to the Foundation.
HR 2800, the Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act, authorizes a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to honor Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds for his actions during World War II. The bill directs the Treasury Secretary to strike a gold medal commemorating Edmonds' bravery, specifically his defiance of Nazi orders to separate Jewish-American prisoners at Stalag IX-A, which saved approximately 200 lives. The medal will be presented to Edmonds' son, Pastor Christopher Waring Edmonds, or his next of kin, with bronze duplicates available for sale to cover costs. This is a commemorative measure recognizing Edmonds' service, not a policy change affecting current legislation or programs.
This resolution supports the designation of Second Chance Month to promote awareness of unnecessary legal and social barriers that prevent individuals with criminal records from becoming productive members of society.
The Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act (S 1237) would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exclude specific family-owned assets from being counted when calculating a student's financial need for federal aid. It directly affects students from families owning a farm where they reside or a small business (with 100 or fewer full-time employees) that is family-controlled. The bill adds explicit exemptions for these assets in the financial aid formula, removing their value from asset calculations. This change would increase eligibility for need-based aid like Pell Grants for affected students without altering other aid program rules.
IRS Accountability and Taxpayer Protection Act This bill modifies procedural rules for the imposition of tax penalties by requiring, among other things, the approval of such penalties to be given in the pre-assessment process when a supervisor or higher level official has the discretion to give or withhold such approval.
No EV Credits for Idle Allies Act This bill excludes critical materials for vehicle batteries that were extracted or processed in Germany or France from any determination of the eligible amount of the new clean vehicle tax credit unless the Department of State certifies that either country has, since February 24, 2022, directly provided a cumulative amount of aid to Ukraine that is not less than the direct commitment of aid provided by the United States. The State Department must annually review its certification of the amount of aid provided to Ukraine by Germany or France and require such countries to attain a certain level of defense spending for the duration of the war in Ukraine.
This bill authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal to honor Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, a U.S. Army soldier who saved approximately 200 Jewish-American soldiers during WWII by refusing Nazi orders to separate them. It directs the Treasury Secretary to design and strike the medal, which will be presented posthumously to Edmonds' family (specifically to Christopher Waring Edmonds). The bill also permits the sale of bronze duplicates to the public to offset costs, with proceeds going to the U.S. Mint. This is a commemorative measure with no direct policy impact on current laws or regulations.
The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act amends federal criminal statutes to clarify legal standards and increase penalties for specific violent crimes. It clarifies that assaults on federal officers are general intent crimes (removing the need to prove defendants specifically intended to harm officers), increases carjacking penalties to 20 years for first offenses (up from 15) and up to 40 years when weapons are used, and creates a new offense for distributing candy-flavored controlled substances to minors with penalties of up to 20 years for repeat violations. The bill also updates sentencing guidelines to require a 2-level enhancement for the new candy-flavored drug offense. These changes apply to existing federal criminal codes without creating new crime categories beyond the specified provisions.
HR 2743 prohibits large financial institutions (over $100 billion in assets) from denying banking services to lawful businesses based on subjective political reasons, industry type, or reputational concerns. It requires these institutions to use objective, risk-based assessments for service decisions and provide written justifications for denials. The law applies to banks, credit unions, and payment networks, with civil penalties for violations including fines up to $10,000 per incident. It specifically ensures businesses operating legally under federal law receive fair access to financial services without discrimination. The bill mandates that denials be based on documented risk factors, not political bias or category-based exclusion.
Contact Lens Prescription Verification Modernization Act This bill revises the requirements for the verification of prescriptions related to the purchase of contact lenses. Specifically, online sellers of prescription contact lenses must provide consumers with a method to transmit a digital copy of their prescriptions to such sellers. Online sellers also must encrypt protected health information they send by email. Additionally, the bill prohibits any seller of prescription contact lenses from using telephone calls with an artificial or prerecorded voice (i.e., robocalls) to verify a consumer's prescription.
American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act of 2023 This bill eliminates the five-year amortization requirement for research and experimental expenditures, thus allowing continued expensing of such expenditures in the taxable years in which they are incurred.
