Closing IRGC Sanctions Loopholes Act This bill expands sanctions on those associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Current law requires the President to identify foreign persons (individuals and entities) that are officials, agents, or affiliates of the IRGC and impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on them. The bill expands this requirement to include identifying and sanctioning foreign persons that are owned or controlled by the IRGC. The President must also identify foreign persons attempting to conduct sensitive transactions or activities on behalf of such IRGC-associated persons. The bill expands the definition of sensitive transactions or activities , which are used to identify persons potentially subject to sanctions, to include transactions providing support for an act of international terrorism or providing material support to (1) a foreign terrorist organization, (2) a foreign person sanctioned under Executive Order 13224 (related to sanctioning those who commit or support terrorism), or (3) the Syrian government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Additionally, the bill lowers the threshold for financial transactions involving non-Iranian financial institutions to qualify as a sensitive transaction from $1,000,000 to $500,000 per year and adds similar transactions involving Iranian financial institutions. The bill requires the President to investigate certain categories of foreign persons to determine if they are subject to these sanctions (versus prioritizing such investigations as under current law). The bill also adds foreign persons listed in specified attachments to U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 (concerning Iran's nuclear program) as a new category the President must investigate to determine if there are any sanctionable relationships to the IRGC.
Protect American Election Administration Act of 2023 This bill generally prohibits a state from soliciting, receiving, or expending any payment or donation of funds, property, or personal services from a private entity for the purpose of administering a federal election. For example, the bill prohibits the use of these payments or donations for programs related to voter education, outreach, and registration. The prohibition shall not apply to a state's acceptance and use of a private entity's donation of space to be used for a polling place or an early voting site.
HR 2928, the Responsible Borrower Protection Act of 2023, blocks the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and mortgage enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) from implementing specific changes to mortgage credit fees announced in January 2023. The bill directly affects mortgage borrowers and lenders by reversing a pricing framework update that would have altered fees for single-family mortgages. It prohibits the FHFA from enforcing the January 2023 pricing changes detailed in FHFA's announcement and related lender letters. The bill clarifies that enterprises may still use risk-based pricing for mortgage fees, but the specific fee adjustments from the 2023 framework are canceled. This is a direct policy change to mortgage fee structures, not a broader reform.
HRES 327 is a procedural resolution that sets the rules for the House to debate and vote on two specific legislative measures: H.R. 2811 (a bill to responsibly raise the federal debt ceiling) and H.J. Res. 39 (a resolution disapproving a Department of Commerce rule on duties and liquidation procedures). It waives all procedural objections to these measures, limits debate time (two hours for H.R. 2811, one hour for H.J. Res. 39), and designates committee leaders to control discussion. This resolution does not change the content of the bills but streamlines their legislative process by establishing clear timing and debate rules.
This bill requires the Comptroller General, with input from the Energy Secretary and EPA Administrator, to study the full environmental impact of electric vehicles (EVs). The study must examine battery production (including mineral mining), electricity sources for charging, grid strain from widespread EV adoption, costs of building charging infrastructure, and maintenance needs for roads and bridges. It does not change any laws or regulations but mandates a report to Congress within 180 days of enactment. The study aims to provide data on EV ecosystem costs and environmental effects, directly affecting future policy discussions about electric vehicles.
The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act requires social media platforms to verify the age of users through reasonable methods (beyond simple self-attestation) and obtain parental consent for minors aged 13-17 before allowing account creation or certain features. Platforms must stop using algorithmic recommendations based on personal data for users under 18 and allow parents to revoke consent at any time, with strict limits on how verification data can be used or stored. A voluntary government pilot program will offer secure digital ID credentials for age and parental verification, meeting high cybersecurity standards, though participation is optional for both users and platforms. Violations will be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general, with civil penalties for non-compliance.
This bill authorizes the U.S. Treasury to mint three commemorative coins in 2026 to honor Golda Meir (Israel’s first female Prime Minister) and mark the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Israel relations. It specifies $5 gold, $1 silver, and half-dollar coins bearing her image and inscriptions like "Golda Meir, Israel 75, 2026," with surcharges of $35, $10, and $5 per coin respectively. All surcharge revenue will fund Kiryat Sanz Laniado Hospital in Israel, while the coins - minted only in 2026 - will be sold as collectibles with no net cost to the U.S. government.
Securing our Border Act This bill addresses issues concerning border security and immigration, including by transferring funds from the Internal Revenue Service to certain border-related projects. Specifically, the bill transfers certain funds previously appropriated for tax enforcement activities (e.g., collecting owed taxes and conducting criminal investigations) to fund (1) nonintrusive inspection systems along the northern border and southwest border of the United States, and (2) the construction of a border wall system along the southwest border. The bill also authorizes the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to pay recruitment, retention, and relocation bonuses, subject to various requirements and limitations. For example, a relocation bonus may not exceed 15% of the agent's annual basic bay and must be conditioned on the agent agreeing to serve for at least three years at the new duty station. The bill also modifies the treatment of non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) arriving by land from a country next to the United States. Specifically, if such an individual is not clearly entitled to admission into the United States, the Department of Justice must (1) return the individual to that neighboring country or a safe third country while removal proceedings are pending, or (2) detain the individual while the individual's asylum application is under consideration. (Current law authorizes DOJ to return the individual to the neighboring country but does not require such action or detention.)
This bill creates a new visa category allowing South Korean nationals to work in specialty occupations in the U.S. It directly affects South Korean workers in specialized fields and their U.S. employers seeking to hire them. Key provisions include adding a new visa type (E-4) for these workers, setting a yearly cap of 15,000 initial visas for principal applicants only (not including spouses or children), and requiring employer attestations to the Labor Department. The change modifies existing immigration law to establish this dedicated pathway for South Korean specialty workers.
This bill extends current Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment (like wheelchairs and oxygen) in non-rural areas until December 31, 2024. It delays the implementation of new, lower payment rates for all areas (including rural) until January 1, 2025. The bill directly affects Medicare providers who supply durable medical equipment, giving them additional time to adjust to potential payment changes. It modifies how Medicare administers payment rules without altering the underlying rates themselves.
This bill establishes a 5-year pilot program to train and hire transitioning military service members and veterans as U.S. Border Patrol agents. It directs the Department of Homeland Security, in collaboration with Defense and Veterans Affairs, to use the existing Defense SkillBridge program to transition service members into Border Patrol roles. The program requires annual reports tracking participant demographics (including active duty, veterans, spouses, and dependents) and terminates after five years.
The Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act of 2023 expands eligibility for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship, which provides education benefits to dependents of service members. It adds new eligibility for dependents if a veteran dies from a service-connected disability within 120 days after discharge (with an honorable discharge), not just if they died "in line of duty." The changes apply to deaths occurring before, on, or after the bill's enactment date and cover education benefits starting August 1, 2024. This directly affects dependents of veterans who meet the new death criteria related to service-connected disabilities.
