This bill prohibits the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) from implementing their January 2023-announced changes to the single-family pricing framework for fees on purchase, rate-term refinance, and cash-out refinance loans. The changes revise the fee charts that provide percentage adjustments based on a borrower's credit score and other factors.
This joint resolution (SJRES 25) seeks congressional disapproval of a specific Department of Labor rule regarding wage rates for H-2A agricultural workers. It targets the rule published in the Federal Register (88 Fed. Reg. 12760) that established a methodology for calculating "Adverse Effect Wage Rates" (AEWR) for temporary H-2A nonimmigrant workers in non-range occupations. If passed, the resolution would block this rule from taking effect, directly affecting agricultural employers who rely on H-2A visas and the workers themselves by preventing the implementation of the new wage calculation method. The resolution does not create new policy but aims to halt an existing rule through the congressional disapproval process under U.S. Code.
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor final rule entitled Adverse Effect Wage Rate Methodology for the Temporary Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in Non-Range Occupations in the United States and published on February 28, 2023. This rule makes changes to the methodology used to set adverse effect wage rates for H-2A workers (temporary agricultural workers), including by using Bureau of Labor Statistics wage surveys in certain instances. (Generally, the minimum wage for an H-2A worker is the highest of the adverse effect wage rate, the applicable minimum wage, the prevailing wage for that occupation in that area, or any agreed-upon collective bargaining wage.)
This bill directs the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to study how Holocaust education is implemented in all 50 states' public K-12 schools. The study will examine curriculum requirements, teacher training, teaching materials, assessment methods, and challenges in teaching about the Holocaust and antisemitism. The Museum must submit a report to Congress within 3 years of the bill's enactment detailing findings on educational practices and resource needs. This affects every state education system and public school district nationwide by mandating a comprehensive review of current Holocaust education approaches.
The Love Lives On Act of 2023 restores survivor benefits for veterans' spouses who remarried before age 55 and before the bill's enactment, which they previously lost due to remarriage. It removes an expiration date for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship for surviving spouses and expands access to military commissaries and exchanges for remarried surviving spouses. The bill also extends TRICARE coverage to include remarried widows or widowers whose subsequent marriage ended.
HR 2826, the Save Local Business Act, clarifies when multiple businesses can be held jointly responsible for labor laws. It amends the National Labor Relations Act and Fair Labor Standards Act to state that a business is only a joint employer if it directly controls key employment terms like hiring, pay, schedules, or discipline for another business's workers. This directly affects franchisors, contractors, and similar business models that might previously have been deemed joint employers under broader interpretations. The bill aims to limit joint employer liability to cases where one business has clear, day-to-day control over essential worker conditions.
HR 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, amends Title IX to prohibit federally funded schools and athletic programs from allowing individuals assigned male at birth to participate in women's or girls' sports teams. The bill defines "sex" for this purpose as "reproductive biology and genetics at birth," making it a violation of federal law to permit such participation in designated women's or girls' programs. It allows males to train with women's teams only if no female is deprived of a roster spot, competition opportunity, scholarship, or other benefit tied to the team. This law directly affects public and private schools receiving federal financial assistance that operate athletic programs.
This bill reauthorizes $150 million annually in federal funding for diabetes prevention and treatment programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities, extending the existing program through fiscal year 2028. It directly affects tribal health programs and Native American communities by ensuring continued access to critical diabetes care services. The key provision adds a new funding allocation of $150 million per year for 2024-2028 to the Public Health Service Act, with funds remaining available until fully spent. This maintains current program levels without altering eligibility or service requirements.
This bill extends the Special Diabetes Program for Type 1 diabetes through 2028, continuing existing federal funding that supports research, prevention, and treatment initiatives. It directly affects people living with Type 1 diabetes by ensuring ongoing access to critical resources funded under the Public Health Service Act. The key provision amends Section 330B(b)(2)(D) to update the program's funding period from ending in 2023 to ending in 2028. This is a straightforward reauthorization of current funding levels without new program requirements or eligibility changes.
The Defend Our Networks Act transfers $3.08 billion in unused pandemic relief funds (from bills like the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan) to the Commission for its Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Program. These funds will merge with existing program appropriations and remain available until spent, following the same rules as current funding. The bill also adjusts a funding cap in the 2019 law, increasing it from $1.9 billion to $4.98 billion. This is a procedural funding transfer, directly affecting the Commission's program operations, not the public or new policy changes.
The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act amends federal criminal statutes to clarify legal standards and increase penalties for specific violent crimes. It clarifies that assaults on federal officers are general intent crimes (removing the need to prove defendants specifically intended to harm officers), increases carjacking penalties to 20 years for first offenses (up from 15) and up to 40 years when weapons are used, and creates a new offense for distributing candy-flavored controlled substances to minors with penalties of up to 20 years for repeat violations. The bill also updates sentencing guidelines to require a 2-level enhancement for the new candy-flavored drug offense. These changes apply to existing federal criminal codes without creating new crime categories beyond the specified provisions.
Go Woke, Go Broke Act This bill abolishes the Advisory Committee on Racial Equity in the Department of the Treasury. The bill also prohibits Treasury from reestablishing this advisory committee or establishing any substantially similar advisory committee.
