The Election Worker Protection Act of 2023 provides federal grants to states for recruiting and training election workers (including poll workers and election volunteers) with specific requirements for cultural competence and diversity in recruitment efforts. It also funds physical security services and social media threat monitoring for election workers to protect them from threats. The bill establishes new criminal penalties for intimidating, threatening, or harassing election workers while they perform their duties, and creates a grant program to help protect election workers' personally identifiable information from public disclosure. These provisions apply to workers involved in federal elections and require states to submit reports on how the funds are used.
This bill prohibits states from restricting or interfering with lawful reproductive health care services (including abortion, contraception, and related care) provided by health care providers like doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in states where such services are legal. It creates federal enforcement mechanisms, allowing the Attorney General, providers, or affected individuals to sue states or officials enforcing violating laws and seek court orders to stop such restrictions. The bill also blocks federal funding for states pursuing legal actions against providers offering lawful reproductive care and allocates $40 million for legal defense grants to providers and $40 million for security grants to protect facilities and patients. It explicitly prevents health insurance companies from denying coverage or suing providers solely for offering lawful reproductive services.
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 would designate approximately 1.3 million acres of public land across Utah's Colorado Plateau and Great Basin regions as wilderness areas, protecting them from development and extractive industries. It specifically creates 77 wilderness areas across eight designated regions including the Grand Staircase-Escalante, Moab-La Sal Canyons, Henry Mountains, and San Rafael Swell areas. The bill maintains existing recreational uses like hiking, camping, and fishing while allowing continued livestock grazing under certain conditions and protecting water rights and Tribal cultural resources. It withdraws the designated lands from mining, mineral leasing, and other forms of development under federal law. The Bureau of Land Management would manage these areas according to wilderness preservation standards under the Wilderness Act.
This bill establishes a national technical assistance center to support the direct care workforce and family caregivers, with $1 billion authorized for grants in 2024. It funds projects that recruit, train, and advance direct care professionals who provide services to older adults and people with disabilities, requiring at least 30% of grant projects to focus on career advancement pathways. The bill mandates that grant recipients provide supportive services like transportation, childcare, and workplace accommodations, while requiring training on culturally competent care, abuse prevention, and person-centered planning. It also requires that grant funds supplement, not replace, existing funding for these purposes and includes reporting requirements to track outcomes. The bill directly affects direct care workers, family caregivers, older adults, and people with disabilities who rely on home and community-based services.
This bill strengthens penalties for individuals or organizations charging veterans unauthorized fees when assisting with VA benefit claims. It directly affects veterans who might be targeted by unscrupulous representatives and the representatives themselves who attempt to charge such fees. The key provision adds a new subsection (b) to Section 5905, making it illegal to solicit, charge, or receive any fee for preparing or submitting VA claims - except as allowed under specific other sections. Violations can result in fines, up to one year in prison, or both.
The Caring for Survivors Act of 2023 (S 414) increases monthly payments for surviving spouses of veterans. It changes how dependency and indemnity compensation is calculated, replacing a fixed amount with 55% of another veterans' compensation rate, and ensures survivors whose veterans died before January 1, 1993, receive the higher of the old or new payment amount. The bill also modifies rules for survivors of veterans who were totally disabled at death, reducing the required continuous disability rating period from 10 to 5 years, with payments adjusted proportionally for shorter periods. These changes directly affect surviving spouses of veterans, particularly those with veterans who died prior to 1993 or who had shorter disability ratings before death. The bill takes effect six months after enactment.
Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2023 This bill modifies the above-the-line tax deduction for the expenses of performing artists (including commissions paid to managers or agents) to provide for a phaseout of such deduction for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000 ($200,000 for joint return filers). The $100,000 phaseout threshold is adjusted for inflation annually for taxable years beginning after 2023.
Raise the Age Act of 2023 This bill establishes new restrictions on the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals under 21 years of age. Specifically, this bill makes it unlawful for a licensed gun dealer, importer, manufacturer, or collector to sell or deliver a semiautomatic center-fire rifle or semiautomatic center-fire shotgun that has (or has the capacity to accept) an ammunition feeding device with a capacity of more than five rounds to an individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under age 21. The prohibition does not apply if the individual under age 21 is a full-time law enforcement officer or active-duty member of the Armed Forces. The bill also requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report on the operation of its public access line, including a description of information sharing protocols and recommendations for improving such protocols.
HR 2370, the Access to AEDs Act, authorizes $25 million in federal funding (2024-2028) to help public elementary and secondary schools improve access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and CPR training. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to school districts and partners for developing AED programs, training staff and students, purchasing and maintaining AEDs, and creating cardiac emergency response plans. It specifically targets schools to address sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), which is a leading cause of death among student athletes and youth, with 90% of SCA victims dying without immediate CPR and defibrillation. The law requires grantees to report on their activities and establishes a clearinghouse to collect data on school AED access and costs.
SRES 173 is a non-binding Senate resolution recognizing the Federal Government's duty to develop a Green New Deal framework. It calls for a 10-year national mobilization to achieve climate and social goals, including 100% clean energy by 2030, job creation in clean industries, and infrastructure upgrades to address climate impacts. The resolution emphasizes protecting frontline and vulnerable communities - such as communities of color, low-income workers, and indigenous peoples - by requiring inclusive planning and ensuring no adverse effects from climate policies. While not a law, it sets policy direction for future legislation to achieve climate targets, economic equity, and environmental justice for all Americans.
This bill amends the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program to add "assisted reproductive treatment benefits" to covered services. It directly affects federal employees and their families who use reproductive technologies like IVF, egg/sperm preservation, or artificial insemination, making these treatments eligible for coverage under their FEHB health plans. The bill defines "assisted reproductive treatment" to include specific procedures (e.g., IVF, sperm/egg preservation, intrauterine insemination) and grants the Office of Personnel Management Director authority to add additional covered treatments. The changes would take effect one year after the bill is enacted. This is a policy change expanding existing health benefits, not a procedural or commemorative measure.
