HR 1414, the Keep Innovation in America Act, clarifies the definition of "broker" under tax law to include entities facilitating digital asset sales at customer direction, directly affecting digital asset exchanges and platforms. It defines "digital asset" as value recorded on a secure ledger and requires brokers to report certain transactions involving digital assets starting in 2025. The bill also mandates a Treasury study on treating digital assets as "cash" under specific tax rules, analyzing privacy, innovation, and competitiveness impacts. These changes aim to align tax reporting with digital asset technology while avoiding burdens on non-broker developers like miners or validators.
The TABS Act of 2023 would rename the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to the Consumer Financial Empowerment Agency (CFEA) throughout U.S. federal law. This bill would change the agency's name in the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 and over 25 other federal statutes, including the Dodd-Frank Act and Truth in Lending Act. The bill does not alter the agency's responsibilities, authority, or budget structure - only its name. This is a procedural change affecting all federal documents, regulations, and references to the agency.
HR 1388 authorizes the minting of commemorative coins to honor the 1865 Sultana steamboat disaster, the deadliest maritime tragedy in U.S. history. It specifies three coin types ($5 gold, $1 silver, and half-dollar) with defined weights and compositions, to be sold at face value plus surcharges ($35, $10, and $5 per coin, respectively). All surcharges collected will fund the Sultana Historical Preservation Society for museum development, including exhibits, artifact preservation, and facility construction. The coins are legal tender but intended for collectors, with sales limited to a one-year period starting January 2023.
This bill reauthorizes the Conrad State 30 program, which allows U.S. states to request waivers enabling foreign medical graduates (J-1 visa holders) to work in medically underserved areas without having to return to their home countries. It extends the program's expiration date, creates new mechanisms for physicians to maintain legal status after completing service requirements, and adds protections against non-compete clauses in employment contracts. The bill modifies requirements for foreign medical graduates to work in underserved areas, including clarifying the 3-year service requirement and establishing a process for states to recapture waiver slots when physicians move between states. It also requires annual reporting on program usage by state and includes provisions for academic medical centers to request waivers without geographic constraints. The bill directly affects foreign-trained physicians, U.S. states, and health care facilities in underserved areas.
Patients' Right to Know Their Medication Act of 2023 This bill establishes requirements relating to the form, content, and distribution of patient safety labels for prescription drugs. Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration must issue regulations with requirements relating to the authorship, content, format, color, printing, and dissemination of such patient safety information. The regulations must require labels to include the drug's approved uses, known interactions with other drugs or substances, contact information for the drug's manufacturer, and other specified information relating to patient safety. The information must be in plain, neutral language and must be given in printed form with each prescription.
This resolution supports the designation of National FFA Week. It also (1) recognizes the important role of the National FFA Organization (Future Farmers of America) in developing the next generation of leaders who will change the world, and (2) celebrates the 90th anniversary of the iconic FFA jacket.
S 622, the Helping Heroes Act of 2023, creates a new Family Support Program to provide services for children of disabled veterans. It directly affects veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 70% or higher and their children under 18. The bill requires the VA to place full-time Family Coordinators at each medical center to assess family needs, connect them to services like mental health support, educational assistance, and after-school programs, and coordinate with non-VA providers. The program mandates annual reporting on participants and outcomes, including demographic data and service effectiveness, and requires VA to include family support resources in military transition programs.
This bill authorizes the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to honor Navy pilot Everett Alvarez, Jr., for his service as a Vietnam War POW and subsequent public service. It directs the Speaker of the House and Senate President pro tempore to arrange for the medal's presentation, specifying it must bear his name and image. Bronze duplicates may be sold to cover production costs, with proceeds deposited into the U.S. Mint fund. The bill is purely ceremonial, recognizing Alvarez's 8+ years as a prisoner of war and his post-military career. It does not create new policies or affect any government programs.
The Safe Step Act requires health insurance plans and employer-sponsored health coverage to create a transparent process for patients or their doctors to request exceptions to medication step therapy protocols. These protocols typically mandate trying a lower-cost drug first before covering a more expensive alternative. Exceptions must be approved if previous treatments failed, delaying coverage would cause severe harm, the required drug is unsafe, or the patient is stable on the requested drug. Health plans must respond to requests within 72 hours (or 24 hours in emergencies) and make the process details available online.
S 626, the Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act, establishes a new Medicare model to provide coordinated care management for beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. It directly affects Medicare Part A/B enrollees (not in Part C or hospice) and their unpaid caregivers by requiring eligible entities like health systems or ACOs to deliver comprehensive services including continuous monitoring, personalized care plans, medication management, and caregiver support. Key provisions include assigning patients to care pathways based on health needs, requiring zero cost-sharing for beneficiaries, and paying providers via capitated payments with quality-based bonuses. The model aims to test whether this approach improves health outcomes, caregiver experience, and reduces Medicare spending without lowering care quality.
The Protecting Minors from Medical Malpractice Act of 2023 creates a legal right for minors (or their legal guardians) to sue medical practitioners who perform gender-transition procedures on them (as defined) and cause harm, with a 30-year window to file a lawsuit after the minor turns 18. It defines gender-transition procedures as the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgery to align the body with gender identity, excluding exceptions for intersex conditions, treating complications, or life-threatening medical needs. The bill also prohibits states requiring such procedures from receiving federal health funding and clarifies that no federal law mandates medical practitioners to perform them. This law applies when the procedure involves interstate commerce or affects interstate commerce.
This bill increases the federal tax credit for rehabilitating historic buildings, specifically boosting the credit rate from 20% to 30% for small projects (defined as those with qualified rehabilitation costs under $3.75 million and no prior credit). The total credit for any single project is capped at $750,000. It also expands eligibility by changing how building basis is calculated and adjusts rules for tax-exempt properties to simplify compliance. These changes directly benefit small-scale developers and owners rehabilitating certified historic structures.
