HR 1631, the Pro Codes Act, requires standards development organizations (like ANSI or IEEE) to make technical standards publicly accessible online for free if those standards are referenced in federal, state, or local laws or regulations. This directly affects the organizations that create these standards and government agencies that incorporate them into rules. The key provision mandates that organizations must provide free, online access to all referenced standards within a reasonable time after learning they’re incorporated, without charging users or requiring payment. It ensures the public can access current standards used in government rules while allowing organizations to maintain revenue models through paid subscriptions for other users. The law balances public access with the need for standards organizations to fund their work through copyright licensing.
# Summary of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024
This comprehensive appropriations bill provides funding for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Farm Credit Administration for fiscal year 2024. The bill contains numerous provisions governing how funds may be used, with over 700 specific restrictions and prohibitions.
## Key Funding Areas
- **Rural Development Programs**: Funding for rural housing, water systems, broadband, and business development
- **Food Assistance Programs**: Support for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), school meal programs, and food for education
- **Agricultural Research**: Funding for USDA research, extension, and education programs
- **Food Safety and Inspection**: Resources for USDA food safety and inspection services
- **Farm Credit**: Support for farm credit institutions and programs
## Major Restrictions and Prohibitions
1. **Reprogramming Restrictions**: Section 716 requires 30-day congressional notification and approval for any reprogramming of funds that creates new programs, eliminates existing programs, increases funding for restricted projects, relocates offices, reorganizes programs, or contracts out functions.
2. **Critical Race Theory Prohibition**: Section 757 explicitly prohibits using funds to carry out any program, project, or activity that promotes or advances Critical Race Theory.
3. **Food and Product Restrictions**:
- Section 751 prohibits using funds to procure poultry products from China for school lunch programs
- Section 737 prohibits using funds to implement or enforce certain proposed rules on poultry contracting
- Section 772 prohibits using funds to fly any flag other than the U.S. flag at agency facilities
4. **Specific Program Restrictions**:
- Section 754 prohibits using funds to support the Wuhan Institute of Virology or similar facilities
- Section 760 prohibits using funds to inspect horses under certain provisions
- Section 761 nullifies modifications to mifepristone risk evaluation strategies
5. **Material Requirements**: Section 735 requires U.S.-made iron and steel products for certain rural water and waste disposal projects unless a waiver is granted.
6. **Funding Limitations**:
- Section 714 limits Section 32 program funding to $1,573,666,000
- Section 739 authorizes $2 million for pilot projects to allow SNAP benefits for nutrient-dense foods
- Section 771 authorizes $2 million for pilot projects to support tribal school meal programs
7. **Rescissions**:
- Section 722 rescinds $500 million from unobligated balances
- Section 731 rescinds $500 million from unobligated balances for the WIC program
- Section 733 rescinds $1 billion from unobligated balances for rural development
The bill represents a comprehensive framework for agricultural and food-related spending with extensive limitations on how funds can be used, reflecting significant congressional oversight and policy priorities for the 2024 fiscal year.
HJRES 44 is a congressional resolution seeking to block a 2021 rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The rule classified firearms with stabilizing braces as "short-barreled rifles," which would have required additional licensing and regulation. This resolution uses a specific legal process (under Title 5, U.S. Code) to formally disapprove the ATF rule, meaning the rule would no longer be in effect. It directly affects firearm owners, manufacturers, and dealers who would have been subject to the rule’s requirements.
Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act of 2021 This bill requires federal agencies to develop and disclose safety plans that contain certain information for on-site employees and contractors during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill requires each agency to post a safety plan on its website that includes descriptions of (1) the personal protective equipment that the agency will provide to its on-site employees and contractors; (2) protections for employees whose work requires them to travel off-site; (3) testing, contact-tracing, and vaccination protocols; and (4) protocols that ensure the continuity of operations in the event it is necessary to reverse on-site requirements. Each agency's Office of the Inspector General must report on whether the agency has published and implemented its safety plan.
For the People Act of 2021 This bill addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government. 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. The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting. Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems. Further, 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. The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House. The bill requires the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to disclose 10 years of tax returns.
