Helping with Equal Access to Leave and Investing in Needs for Grieving Mothers and Fathers Act or the HEALING Mothers and Fathers Act This bill revises the family and medical leave entitlement and limits funding to certain family planning programs. Specifically, the bill provides family and medical leave due to the spontaneous loss of an unborn child of an employee or spouse of the employee. It also establishes a tax credit for an individual who experiences, during the taxable year, the stillbirth of a child who would have been a qualifying child of the individual for the taxable year if the child had been born live. The bill further prohibits the Office of Population Affairs within the Department of Health and Human Services from providing federal assistance to voluntary family planning programs that (1) perform abortions, (2) provide funding to another entity that performs abortions, or (3) refer patients to abortion providers.
The SHORT Act revises federal firearm regulations to eliminate separate restrictions on short-barreled rifles and shotguns. It redefines shotguns used for sporting purposes to avoid being classified as destructive devices and removes language that previously treated these weapons differently from other firearms. The bill also requires states to recognize federal compliance as meeting state registration requirements for these weapons and preempts state taxes or registration rules on them in interstate commerce. Finally, it mandates the federal government to destroy related ownership records within 365 days of enactment.
This bill eliminates the Chief Diversity Officer position within the Department of Defense (DoD) by repealing Section 147 of Title 10, U.S. Code, and removes a related Senior Advisor for Diversity and Inclusion role established in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. It directly affects the DoD by prohibiting the creation of any new position that mirrors these roles using federal funds. The key mechanism is a funding ban preventing the DoD from establishing or funding similar diversity-focused leadership positions. This policy change removes specific diversity-related roles from DoD leadership structure.
HR 683 (PASS Act of 2023) expands the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review process to cover foreign investments in U.S. agriculture businesses, agricultural biotechnology, and private farmland. It mandates that the President block transactions involving foreign entities from China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea that would give them control over U.S. agricultural operations or land used for farming. The bill allows limited presidential waivers for national security reasons but requires a 30-day review period before any waiver. Additionally, it requires the Secretary of Agriculture to submit biannual reports to Congress on risks posed by foreign ownership in U.S. agriculture.
Disaster Reforestation Act This bill sets forth a special rule for the tax deduction for casualty losses of uncut timber (including pre-merchantable timber). It provides that in losses of any uncut timber from fire, storm, insects, invasive species, drought, or other casualty, or from theft, the basis for determining the amount of the deduction for such loss shall not be less than the excess of the value of such timber determined immediately before such loss was sustained, over the salvage value of such timber. To be eligible for the casualty loss deduction, the uncut timber subject to the loss must be reforested not later than the close of the five-year period beginning on the date of the loss.
The Strategic Production Response Act (HR 21) requires the Secretary of Energy to develop a plan increasing oil and gas leasing on federal lands (managed by Interior, Agriculture, Energy, and Defense) by the same percentage as any initial drawdown of petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This plan must be created before the first sale, exchange, or loan of reserve oil, and cannot increase leasing on federal lands by more than 10% overall. The bill mandates consultation with the Secretaries of Agriculture, Interior, and Defense during plan development. It directly affects federal land management agencies and future oil/gas leasing decisions on public lands.
This resolution expresses support for the Supreme Court's holding in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (that there is no constitutional right to abortion). The resolution also applauds the courage of the Justices for standing by their allegiance to the Constitution and the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, and it expresses a commitment to supporting policies that continue to protect all life.
The HEAL Act (HR 603) requires the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Director to study how public elementary and secondary schools teach about the Holocaust and related antisemitism. The study will examine curriculum requirements, teaching methods (like project-based learning), instructional materials, and assessment approaches across states and school districts. It specifically analyzes whether Holocaust education is mandatory, optional, or integrated across subjects, and how schools address antisemitism and genocide prevention. The resulting report, due within 180 days of the study or three years after enactment, will inform Congress but does not change current school policies. This is a data-gathering measure, not a policy mandate.
HR 605, the Special Drawing Rights Oversight Act of 2023, requires the U.S. government to seek congressional approval before allocating IMF reserve assets (SDRs) to certain countries. It strengthens oversight by extending consultation periods with Congress from 90 to 180 days, requiring 25% of U.S. IMF quotas to be considered in decisions, and adding new prohibitions: no SDR allocations may be made to countries the President identifies as having committed genocide or repeatedly supported international terrorism without specific congressional authorization. The bill directly affects the U.S. Treasury and President, who currently have authority to approve such allocations without Congress. This changes current practice, which allows unilateral Treasury decisions that could provide billions in unconditional liquidity to countries like China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.
This bill would prohibit the FDA from approving new abortion medications or investigational uses of existing ones. It would restrict currently approved abortion drugs to in-person administration only in clinics, hospitals, or medical offices by certified providers who can handle complications like ectopic pregnancy or severe bleeding. The law requires detailed adverse event reporting (excluding patient identifiers) to the FDA by both manufacturers and prescribers, and mandates provider certification covering pregnancy assessment, surgical intervention capabilities, and patient safety documentation. These provisions apply directly to healthcare providers, patients seeking medication abortions, and manufacturers of abortion drugs.
This bill prohibits federal funding to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates for one year unless they certify they won't perform or fund abortions (with exceptions for rape/incest or life-threatening conditions). It redirects $235 million in existing funding to community health centers for women's health services like contraception, cancer screenings, and prenatal care. The bill explicitly states that redirected funds will continue to support all women's health services previously provided by Planned Parenthood. It also requires repayment of funds if Planned Parenthood violates the certification, and clarifies that overall federal funding for women's health services remains unchanged.
HCONRES 7 is a symbolic resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that commends Iranian protesters - particularly women - who have risked safety to demonstrate against the Iranian regime's human rights abuses, including the mandatory hijab law and violent crackdowns following Mahsa Amini's death. It condemns the regime's use of violence (reportedly killing over 450 protesters) and detention of activists, while urging the Biden Administration to impose additional human rights sanctions on officials involved in repression and support internet freedom tools to bypass Iranian censorship. The resolution makes no binding policy changes but formally expresses congressional support for protesters' demands for freedom, justice, and an end to discriminatory laws targeting women. It does not directly affect any U.S. laws or policies but serves as a statement of U.S. position.
