S 4463, the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act, would permanently eliminate the Federal Reserve System by abolishing the Board of Governors and all Federal Reserve Banks one year after the bill becomes law. It repeals the Federal Reserve Act and requires a one-year wind-down period during which the Fed Chairman manages employee compensation, assets, and liabilities under Treasury approval. The Office of Management and Budget must orderly sell all Fed assets, transfer net proceeds to the Treasury, and transfer all Fed liabilities (including employee benefits) to the Treasury for payment from those funds. The Treasury and OMB must also submit a report to Congress 18 months after enactment detailing the implementation process.
S 4468, the "Stop the BIS RULE Act," blocks federal funding for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to finalize, implement, or enforce a specific 2024 rule about firearms licensing. The bill directly targets the April 30, 2024, rule (published as 89 Fed. Reg. 34680) that revised requirements for firearm export licenses. It prevents the use of any federal funds to advance this particular regulation, effectively halting its implementation without changing the underlying rule itself.
The Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2024 streamlines congressional review of "midnight rules" - regulations issued by federal agencies near the end of a presidential term. It allows Congress to disapprove multiple such rules in a single joint resolution, rather than requiring separate resolutions for each rule. This change applies specifically to rules for which the agency report was submitted during the final year of a president’s term. The bill directly affects federal agencies issuing these late-term regulations and Congress, which gains a more efficient process to block them.
This bill (SJRES 91) seeks to block a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rule that set minimum staffing requirements for long-term care facilities (like nursing homes) and required transparency in Medicaid payments. If passed, it would cancel the rule (89 Fed. Reg. 40876), preventing it from taking effect under a specific congressional review process. The rule directly affects long-term care providers and Medicaid programs by imposing new staffing and reporting requirements. This resolution is procedural - it does not create new law but halts the implementation of the CMS rule.
This Senate resolution (SRES 718) expresses the Senate's position that the U.S. government should immediately halt all federally funded gain-of-function research due to safety concerns. It specifically urges Congress to pass the Viral Gain-of-Function Research Moratorium Act (S. 81), which would define such research as work that could enhance a virus's transmissibility or pathogenicity and prohibit federal grants for it. The resolution directly affects research institutions receiving federal funding, including universities and organizations like EcoHealth Alliance, that conduct this type of work. As a non-binding resolution, it calls for legislative action but does not itself impose the moratorium.
SRES 385 is a non-binding Senate resolution calling for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen and Wall Street Journal journalist wrongfully detained by Russia since March 2023. It urges the U.S. executive branch to press Russia for his release, demands consular access for him, and condemns Russia’s detention of journalists for political purposes. The resolution also specifically calls for the release of Paul Whelan, detained since 2018, and expresses support for other U.S. citizens wrongfully held in Russia. It does not create new legal requirements but formally expresses congressional concern.
HR 8617, the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2024, automatically grants U.S. citizenship to certain internationally adopted individuals who meet specific criteria. It directly affects adoptees adopted by U.S. citizen parents before age 18, who were physically present in the U.S. in legal custody before age 18, never acquired citizenship before the bill's enactment, and were residing in the U.S. on the bill's effective date. For those already in the U.S., citizenship becomes automatic upon meeting these conditions; for those abroad, citizenship is granted upon lawful entry. The bill removes barriers that previously prevented automatic citizenship for these adoptees under prior immigration rules. It requires background checks for visa issuance but exempts applicants from standard inadmissibility grounds.
HR 192 prohibits noncitizens from voting in all District of Columbia elections, including for public office and ballot initiatives. It directly affects noncitizen residents of Washington D.C. who currently have voting rights under the repealed Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022. The bill's key mechanism is repealing that 2022 amendment, restoring the requirement that only U.S. citizens may vote in DC elections. This changes the voting eligibility rules for noncitizens living in the District. The law would take effect upon enactment, removing noncitizens from the voter rolls for all local elections.
HR 5403, the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing or facilitating central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly or indirectly to individuals through financial institutions. It specifically bans Federal Reserve banks from offering digital products to individuals, maintaining individual accounts, or using CBDC for monetary policy implementation. The bill also clarifies that its restrictions do not apply to existing physical cash or private, permissionless digital payment systems. This bill directly affects the Federal Reserve's ability to develop or deploy a government-run digital dollar. The law aims to prevent the Federal Reserve from creating a digital currency that could enable transaction tracking or government oversight of personal financial activity.
This bill (SJRES 90) blocks a federal rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would have required health programs receiving federal funds to follow new nondiscrimination standards. It uses a specific legal process (under Chapter 8 of Title 5, U.S. Code) to formally disapprove the rule, making it ineffective. The rule, published on May 6, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 37522), directly affected health programs and activities funded by the federal government. The bill does not create new policy but halts an existing rule from taking effect.
H.J. Res. 157 seeks to disapprove a rule issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that would have updated how marine species are listed as endangered or threatened and critical habitats are designated under the Endangered Species Act. The rule, published in the Federal Register on April 5, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 24300), aimed to change implementation procedures for marine species protections. If enacted, this resolution would block the rule from taking effect, preserving current listing and habitat designation practices. This is a standard congressional disapproval process under Title 5 of the U.S. Code for challenging federal agency rules.
HJRES 158 is a joint resolution seeking congressional disapproval of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule published on April 5, 2024, that would have updated how endangered and threatened species are listed and critical habitats designated. If passed, this resolution would block the rule from taking effect under the Congressional Review Act, preventing changes to the agency’s regulatory approach for wildlife conservation. The rule directly affected the management of protections for at-risk species and their habitats by altering listing and habitat designation procedures. This disapproval action halts the proposed regulatory changes without altering existing conservation laws.
