The Standing with Moms Act of 2023 requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create a public website (life.gov) and an interactive portal within one year of enactment. The portal uses a question-based system to connect pregnant individuals with location-specific resources, including mental health support, medical services, financial assistance, childcare, and alternatives to abortion. It prohibits listing resources from organizations that provide or promote abortions and mandates multilingual access. The bill also requires annual reporting on website usage and resource gaps to Congress, focusing on improving support for pregnant and postpartum women.
This bill expands foreign investment review to cover U.S. agriculture by requiring transactions involving foreign control of agricultural businesses to undergo scrutiny by the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS). It classifies agricultural supply chains as both critical infrastructure and critical technologies, directly affecting foreign entities seeking to acquire or influence U.S. farms, food production, and supply chains. The bill mandates annual reports from the Secretary of Agriculture and the Government Accountability Office on foreign investments in agriculture, including risks to food security and intellectual property. These provisions aim to mitigate potential threats to U.S. food supply chains from foreign adversaries through enhanced oversight.
This bill prohibits all federal funding from being provided to EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. and its directly controlled subsidiaries, related organizations, or subgranted entities. It directly affects EcoHealth Alliance by cutting its access to federal grants, contracts, or other funding sources. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study and report on all federal funds provided to EcoHealth Alliance - whether intentionally or accidentally - to Chinese entities like the Wuhan Institute of Virology or the Chinese Communist Party, during the prior decade. The report must detail these funds and include any related agreements involving foreign entities. The bill focuses on restricting funding flows and requiring transparency, not on policy outcomes or advocacy.
This bill requires healthcare providers to give the same medical care to infants born alive during abortions as they would to any newborn, and to immediately admit such infants to a hospital. It mandates reporting of non-compliance to law enforcement and imposes penalties including up to 5 years in prison for violations. Women who undergo abortions can file civil lawsuits seeking money damages for injuries, three times the abortion cost, and punitive damages if care standards are not met. The bill also clarifies that abortion includes intentionally killing an unborn child or terminating pregnancy without specific exceptions (e.g., after viability to preserve life or removing a dead fetus).
HR 22, the *Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act*, blocks the U.S. government from selling petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to entities under Chinese Communist Party control or unless sellers guarantee the oil won’t be exported to China. It directly affects the Department of Energy’s management of the reserve and any foreign entities seeking to purchase reserve petroleum. The key mechanism requires the Secretary of Energy to prohibit sales to China-linked entities or impose strict export restrictions on any sale. This policy change aims to prevent strategic petroleum resources from reaching entities tied to China’s government.
HRES 52 is a non-binding House resolution proposing that the U.S. flag be lowered to half-staff on January 22 each year to memorialize individuals affected by abortion policies since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. It specifically references the anniversary of Roe v. Wade (January 22, 1973) and the 2022 overturning of that ruling. The resolution encourages the public to observe this gesture as a memorial and urges lawmakers to support legislation respecting "the sanctity of life." As a symbolic resolution, it does not create new law or directly affect any specific group.
This bill requires the VA Secretary to notify Congress within 90 days whenever a medical center director is temporarily moved to another VA position, including details like location and expected absence length. It mandates appointing an acting director within 120 days of the detail and providing regular updates to Congress every 30 days until the position is filled. The bill also requires returning the director to their role or beginning a new hiring process within 180 days (with limited 90-day waiver extensions totaling up to 540 days, requiring separate congressional notification). The law directly affects VA medical center directors and the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs committees, aiming to prevent prolonged vacancies in leadership.
This bill prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense from requiring defense contractors to report greenhouse gas emissions. It specifically bans the Secretary of Defense from mandating any "greenhouse gas inventory" or reports on Scope 1, Scope 2, or Scope 3 emissions from contractors holding federal defense contracts. The law directly affects defense contractors who would otherwise have been required to track and disclose their emissions data. It removes a specific reporting requirement for contractors under Defense Department contracts, without altering other environmental regulations.
S 31, the SPR Act, requires the Secretary of the Interior to create a plan increasing oil and gas production on federal lands before any future drawdowns from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). This applies to most federal lands (excluding national parks, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, marine sanctuaries, and Indian land) and mandates new production actions beyond existing lease schedules. The plan must be developed with input from other cabinet secretaries and submitted to Congress within 60 days after any SPR drawdown occurs. The bill directly affects federal land management and SPR operations, adding a procedural step to SPR releases.
This bill requires IRS employees currently authorized to telework (under policies established during the pandemic) to return to physical offices. It mandates this return starting 5 business days after the bill's enactment and continues until the IRS eliminates its backlog of unprocessed tax returns for all taxable years. The requirement applies specifically to IRS staff who were permitted to telework as of the bill's enactment date. Additionally, the bill blocks the use of Inflation Reduction Act funds for the IRS until the backlog is cleared, tying funding directly to this operational goal.
This bill strengthens protections for U.S. investors in foreign countries by amending the Foreign Assistance Act. It requires foreign governments to consult with U.S. investors under investment treaties (like those in the DR-CAFTA agreement) within 30 days of a written request. Investors can now petition a U.S. commission for an advisory report on treatment of their investment, and if the commission delays, they may seek court action to suspend U.S. aid to that country. Foreign officials who harm U.S. investments face denied U.S. visas, entry, and blocked financial transactions in the U.S. until the harm is resolved. The bill directly affects U.S. investors, foreign governments, and their officials involved in investment disputes.
The Putting Investors First Act of 2023 requires proxy advisory firms (companies that provide voting recommendations to investors) to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission and disclose potential conflicts of interest. It mandates these firms to establish procedures ensuring recommendations are based on accurate information, provide public companies with reasonable time to review data used in recommendations, and maintain an ombudsman for complaint resolution. The bill also requires investment advisors and asset managers with over $100 million in assets to report how they use proxy advice and provide economic analysis for votes not aligned with board recommendations. Additionally, it prohibits "robovoting" (automatically voting based on proxy advice) and mandates ESG funds to disclose performance comparisons with standard index funds. The legislation aims to increase transparency and accountability in the proxy advisory industry to better protect investor interests.
