IRS Funding Accountability Act This bill delays for a 60-day period funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement activities enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act (except for eliminating return processing backlogs and reducing call wait times) until an annual spending plan for such activities is submitted to the congressional tax and appropriation committees. Congress may enact a joint resolution of disapproval of the spending plan before the end of the 60-day period requiring the IRS to submit a new spending plan. The IRS and the Department of the Treasury must make quarterly reports to the committees on expenditures for enforcement activities. The bill requires reductions in appropriations to the IRS for any failure to submit required reports.
Recruit and Retain Act This bill expands the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program to support recruitment efforts by law enforcement agencies. Specifically, the bill expands the COPS program by allowing funds to be used for reducing application-related fees (e.g., fees for background checks, psychological evaluations, and testing); and directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award competitive grants to partnerships between law enforcement agencies and educational institutions (e.g., elementary schools and institutions of higher education) for recruiting activities, such as for career and job fairs. The bill requires DOJ to establish guidance for understaffed law enforcement agencies applying for COPS grants. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on the effects of recruitment and attrition rates on federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies.
National Advisory Council on Indian Education Improvement Act or the NACIE Improvement Act This bill revises the membership and duties of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. Specifically, the bill requires the council to (1) include at least one member who is the president of a tribal college or university, and (2) submit its annual report to the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of the Interior. ED and Interior must consider the council's report when preparing their budget materials.
Cargo Preference Reporting Act This bill requires the U.S. Maritime Administration to make public and submit to Congress a report regarding cargo preference data on an annual basis.
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2022 or the PAST Act of 2022 This bill addresses the practice of soring horses. The soring of horses includes various actions taken on horses' limbs to produce higher gaits that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. Specifically, the bill expands soring regulation and enforcement at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions, including by establishing a new system for inspecting horses for soring. In addition, the bill increases penalties for violations.
Renewing Investment in American Workers and Supply Chains Act This bill classifies nonresidential real property and residential rental property as 20-year property for depreciation purposes.
Strengthening the Force and Fleet Through Enlisted Education Act or the Smart Act This bill removes the capacity limit for enlisted members of the Armed Forces to receive graduate-level instruction in a Naval Postgraduate School program. The Department of Defense must brief Congress on the effects of increasing enrollment of enlisted members at the school.
HR 9275, the BNA Fairness Act, amends the tax code to exclude the basic needs allowance paid to active-duty military members from their taxable income. This directly affects members of the Armed Forces who receive this specific allowance under 37 U.S. Code § 402b. The bill adds the allowance to the list of "qualified military benefits" under the Internal Revenue Code, ensuring it is not counted as taxable income. This change simplifies tax treatment for service members by removing this benefit from gross income calculations. The policy change applies to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment.
This joint resolution nullifies the interim final rule submitted by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security and published on March 29, 2022, concerning procedures for the consideration of asylum claims and other related issues. (Among other changes, the interim final rule requires an asylum seeker subject to expedited removal to be screened by an asylum officer for a credible fear of persecution or torture, rather than a credible fear of persecution, reasonable possibility of persecution, or reasonable possibility of torture.)
HJRES 53 proposes a constitutional amendment to ban slavery and involuntary servitude as a criminal punishment. Currently, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution permits such punishments for crimes, creating a legal loophole. If ratified by 3/4 of state legislatures, this amendment would eliminate that exception nationwide, making it unconstitutional to impose forced labor or slavery as part of criminal sentences. The change would directly affect all states' criminal justice systems, particularly prison labor practices, by prohibiting these punishments for any offense.
H.J. Res. 51 proposes a constitutional amendment that would grant Congress the authority to pass laws banning the physical desecration of the U.S. flag, such as burning, defacing, or mutilating it. If ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures within seven years, this amendment would allow Congress to create federal laws prohibiting such acts. The amendment itself does not ban flag desecration but would provide the constitutional basis for Congress to enact specific prohibitions. This change would primarily affect individuals who engage in flag desecration and require Congress to draft and pass new legislation to enforce the ban.
This resolution condemns recent attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches and calls on the current presidential administration to use appropriate law enforcement authorities to support their safety.
