Arkansas Congressional Bills

in committee · Arkansas · House Sep 13, 2024

HR 9585: Secure Our Ports Act of 2024

This bill prohibits U.S. port operators from entering contracts for ownership, leasing, or operation of ports covered by maritime security plans with entities owned by China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran - either directly or if any portion is owned by those countries. It applies to major U.S. ports managing international cargo and passenger traffic that require federal security plans under existing law. The law bans such contracts for all port facilities subject to these security requirements. This directly affects port authorities and private operators managing critical infrastructure under federal security mandates.

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Sep 12, 2024

S 5035: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish an external provider scheduling program to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in scheduling appointments for care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program, and for other purposes.

S 5035 establishes a national "External Provider Scheduling Program" within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve scheduling for veterans using the Veterans Community Care Program. The program requires VA schedulers to use real-time technology that displays availability of community health providers, aiming to reduce wait times from referral to appointment and shorten scheduler processing time. It mandates full implementation at all VA medical centers by September 2025 and requires annual reports to Congress on progress. This directly affects veterans seeking care outside VA facilities under the Community Care Program and the VA's scheduling processes. The bill focuses on concrete operational changes to streamline appointment access.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

in committee · Arkansas · House Sep 11, 2024

HR 9324: Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act of 2024

This bill allows VA health care professionals to prescribe controlled medications via telemedicine without requiring an in-person exam, directly affecting veterans receiving VA telehealth services. It permits prescriptions for controlled substances (like certain pain medications) when the provider is licensed under state law, acting within professional practice, and the prescription serves a legitimate medical purpose. The law requires the VA Secretary to establish regulations for this process but clarifies it doesn’t change existing Controlled Substances Act obligations. This expands access to telemedicine for veterans needing controlled medications while maintaining safety and licensing standards.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Technology ✓ Veterans

Steve Womack (R) · 19 co-sponsors

in committee · Arkansas · House Sep 11, 2024

HR 6129: Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act

This bill requires the Council on Environmental Quality to annually publish detailed reports starting in 2024, tracking how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) impacts federal projects. The reports will include data on lawsuits challenging NEPA compliance (listing agencies and case outcomes), the length of environmental impact statements (page counts over 5 years), and timelines for completing environmental reviews (over 10 years). These reports must be publicly available with underlying data, directly affecting federal agencies that manage NEPA reviews and providing transparency for Congress and the public. The bill focuses on collecting factual data about NEPA's implementation, not changing the law itself.

Rudy Yakym III (R) · 18 co-sponsors

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Sep 10, 2024

S 5007: Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024

The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 requires the Secretary of Agriculture to join the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) when reviewing transactions involving U.S. agricultural land, biotechnology, or agricultural industry sectors (including transportation, storage, and processing) with foreign entities from China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran. It mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture notify CFIUS about transactions where a foreign person from one of these "covered countries" is acquiring agricultural land, and CFIUS must then determine whether to initiate a review. This applies only to transactions already reportable under the 1978 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act and expires for any covered country once it is removed from the official list of foreign adversaries. The law directly affects foreign investors from specified countries seeking to purchase U.S. agricultural assets and the federal review process for such transactions.

Mike Braun (R) · 19 co-sponsors

in committee · Arkansas · House Sep 10, 2024

HR 9527: Protecting Our Land from Federal Overreach Act of 2024

HR 9527, the *Protecting Our Land from Federal Overreach Act of 2024*, prohibits the federal government from using eminent domain or federal funds to acquire land for interstate electric transmission lines. It amends the Federal Power Act to block federal agencies from forcing land sales for such projects and requires states to approve permits before transmission facilities can be built or modified within their borders. Specifically, the bill eliminates federal authority to exercise eminent domain for these facilities and mandates that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) cannot issue permits if a state objects. This directly affects landowners whose property might be targeted for transmission projects, states with siting authority, and federal energy agencies managing infrastructure.

Topics ✗ Energy ✗ Environment

in committee · Arkansas · House Sep 9, 2024

HJRES 125: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System relating to "Principles for Climate-Related Financial Risk Management for Large Financial Institutions".

HJRES 125 is a congressional resolution seeking to block a Federal Reserve rule requiring large financial institutions to manage climate-related financial risks. It targets the rule published in the Federal Register on October 30, 2023 (88 Fed. Reg. 74183), which established "Principles for Climate-Related Financial Risk Management." The resolution would prevent this rule from taking effect by invoking a specific legal process under Title 5 of the U.S. Code. This disapproval resolution directly affects major banks and financial firms subject to the Federal Reserve's oversight.

Topics ✗ Energy ✗ Environment

in committee · Arkansas · Senate Sep 9, 2024

S 4997: Veterans Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024

This bill provides supplemental funding to address a shortfall in the Department of Veterans Affairs' 2024 budget. It appropriates $2.285 billion for veterans' compensation and pensions and $596.969 million for readjustment benefits (such as education and housing assistance), both to remain available until spent. The bill also requires the GAO to review the funding shortfall causes, the Office of Management and Budget to revise the 2025 VA budget, and the VA Secretary to report on potential cost savings within VA's Central Office. As a procedural funding measure, it does not create new policies but ensures existing benefits can be delivered.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Housing ✓ Veterans

in committee · Arkansas · House Aug 30, 2024

HR 9428: To increase the penalties for breach of a military base.

HR 9428 amends Section 1382 of Title 18, U.S. Code, to increase the maximum prison sentence for breaching a military base from six months to one year. This bill directly affects individuals convicted of illegally entering or remaining on military property without authorization. The key provision is a straightforward penalty increase for this specific criminal offense. The bill makes no other changes to the law and focuses solely on raising the maximum term of imprisonment for this violation.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

in committee · Arkansas · House Aug 29, 2024

HRES 1015: Expressing support for the designation of February 17 through February 24, 2024, as "National FFA Week", recognizing the important role of the National FFA Organization in developing the next generation of globally conscious leaders who will change the world, and celebrating the 10th anniversary of the "Give the Gift of Blue" program, which has donated more than 17,000 of the iconic FFA jackets to FFA members in need.

This resolution supports the designation of National FFA Week. It also (1) recognizes the important role of the National FFA Organization (Future Farmers of America) in developing the next generation of globally conscious leaders who will change the world; and (2) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Give the Gift of Blue program, which has donated more than 17,000 FFA blue jackets to FFA members in need.

Tracey Mann (R) · 102 co-sponsors

in committee · Arkansas · House Aug 23, 2024

HR 9395: To direct the Secretary of Defense to provide to Congress a briefing on any instance of an attempted breach of certain military installations.

HR 9395 requires the Secretary of Defense to provide Congress with a briefing on any attempted breach of a Department of Defense military installation occurring since January 1, 2021. Each briefing must include the immigration status and citizenship status of every person involved in the attempted breach. The bill directly affects the Department of Defense (which must provide the briefings) and Congress (which receives them). This is a procedural requirement focused on transparency about security incidents, not a policy change to military operations or immigration law.

in committee · Arkansas · House Aug 16, 2024

HR 9374: Stand with Israel Act

HR 9374, the Stand with Israel Act, prohibits U.S. federal funds from being used to support the United Nations or its entities if they restrict Israel's full participation as a member state. The bill specifically blocks funding for any UN body that expels, downgrades, or suspends Israel's membership or limits its ability to participate equally with other nations. This affects U.S. government contributions to the UN, requiring the Department of State and other agencies to halt funding for such UN actions. The key mechanism is a new provision in the UN Participation Act that mandates this funding restriction whenever Israel's UN participation is impaired.

Michael Lawler (R) · 39 co-sponsors

Arkansas Congressional Bills

Bill results