The AVERT Crises Act of 2024 requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a high-frequency emergency communications system across all VA medical facilities within two years. This system must maintain communications during disasters without relying on external infrastructure, enable coordination with agencies like FEMA, and support healthcare continuity for veterans. The bill mandates detailed implementation steps - including staff training, annual emergency exercises, phased rollout starting with three Veterans Integrated Service Networks, and regular congressional reporting on progress. It also includes additional provisions to improve emergency cache management and VA-FEMA resource coordination, focusing on concrete operational upgrades for VA facilities.
This bill allows livestock producers and their employees to take black vultures (Coragyps atratus) that are harming or threatening livestock, bypassing the usual protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It directly affects ranchers and farm workers in areas where black vultures cause livestock deaths or injuries. The key provision requires annual reporting to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about any vultures taken, using a simplified form similar to existing reporting for permitted bird take. This creates a specific, limited exception to federal bird protections for livestock protection, with no new restrictions on vulture populations.
The SCHOOL Act of 2024 (S 5458) redirects federal education funding to follow students regardless of whether they attend public, private, or home schools. It requires states to allocate Title I-VI funds from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and IDEA funds to students directly - through education savings accounts for private/home school students - based on enrollment, rather than to school districts. Funds can cover tuition, materials, tutoring, therapies for students with disabilities, and other educational expenses. The bill mandates annual parental notification of school choice and explicitly prohibits federal control over private schools or supplanting existing local education funding. It affects all students aged 5-17 in public, private, or home schools across participating states.
The Risky Research Review Act establishes a new Life Sciences Research Security Board to review Federal funding for certain high-risk life sciences research before it's approved. The Board, composed of 9 appointed members including scientists and national security experts, will determine whether agencies can fund research that could pose threats to public health, safety, or national security. Entities seeking funding must attest whether their research qualifies as "high-risk" and disclose work with select agents or toxins, with the Board having 120 days to review high-risk proposals and set minimum biosafety and biosecurity requirements. The bill authorizes $30 million annually for the Board's operations from the Department of Homeland Security. This review process will apply to research involving potential pandemic pathogens, gain of function research, or dual-use applications with significant potential for misuse.
HR 10300, the Chevron Re-Review Act, establishes a new process for Congress to review and disapprove federal agency rules that relied on Chevron deference (the legal doctrine where courts defer to agency interpretations of ambiguous laws). The bill requires agencies to provide Congress with specific information about such rules - including cost-benefit analyses and litigation history - within 30 days of a disapproval resolution's introduction. If Congress passes a joint resolution disapproving a rule, the rule is treated as if it never took effect. This procedural bill directly affects agencies and Congress, applying only to rules explicitly based on Chevron deference or upheld by courts using that doctrine.
HR 760, the Chinese Military and Surveillance Company Sanctions Act of 2023, expands U.S. sanctions to block all transactions (including debt and equity financing) with Chinese military-affiliated and surveillance technology companies, moving beyond previous restrictions that only targeted public stock transactions. It requires the President to impose full asset-blocking sanctions via the Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list on companies designated under updated Treasury lists or determined to support China’s military/surveillance sectors. This directly affects U.S. individuals and businesses, prohibiting them from engaging in any financial, commercial, or technological dealings with these designated entities. Exceptions include U.S. intelligence activities and the importation of physical goods, with the sanctions set to expire 7 years after enactment.
HR 374, titled the "Abolish the ATF Act," would eliminate the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as a federal agency. This bill directly affects the ATF itself, ending its existence and all its current operations. The key provision is a single, straightforward legislative action to abolish the bureau, without specifying alternative agencies or processes for handling the functions it currently performs. The bill does not detail how firearm regulations, tobacco enforcement, or other ATF responsibilities would be managed after abolition.
HJRES 120 is a joint resolution that would disapprove a rule issued by the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) regarding how the council identifies nonbank financial companies that could pose risks to the broader financial system. The rule, published in November 2023, provided guidance for designating such companies, which could affect their regulatory oversight. This resolution uses a congressional disapproval process under federal law to declare the rule ineffective, meaning it would have no legal force. If passed, it would prevent the FSOC from implementing this specific guidance in its regulatory work.
HR 10273 directs the Secretary of Defense to study the health effects of indoor mold in military housing, specifically focusing on risks to service members, their families, and children living in covered housing (including unaccompanied and family housing). The study must examine harmful mold types, detection methods, health impacts like respiratory illnesses, and the effect on military readiness. Based on the study, the Department of Defense must develop model standards for preventing, detecting, and remediating mold, including new construction requirements to control moisture and ventilation. The bill also requires training military health professionals on mold-related illnesses and mandates public review of proposed standards.
The Bank Resilience and Regulatory Improvement Act increases regulatory thresholds for medium-sized banks from $10 billion to $50 billion in assets, exempting them from certain requirements. It establishes a 30-day notice period for regulatory applications and a 90-day deadline for approval decisions, with applications deemed approved if not acted upon within that timeframe. The bill creates an independent appeals process for banks challenging regulatory decisions and raises the asset threshold for "small bank holding company" status to $10 billion. These changes reduce regulatory burden for medium-sized financial institutions while maintaining oversight standards.
HR 7428, the Earned Wage Access Consumer Protection Act, regulates services that let workers access early payments of earned but unpaid wages (e.g., via apps or employer partnerships). It directly affects workers using these services ("consumers") and the companies providing them ("providers"), prohibiting practices like forcing repayment through lawsuits, hiding fees, or charging late fees. Key provisions require clear upfront fee disclosures, ensure tips/gratuities are truly voluntary (with no link to service eligibility), and ban providers from using debt collectors to recover unpaid advances. The bill also clarifies that these advances aren’t considered "consumer credit" under federal law, preventing providers from being treated as lenders.
HR 758 aims to improve financial access in communities affected by bank branch closures, primarily targeting rural and underserved urban areas. It establishes a 3-year phase-in period for new financial institutions to meet federal capital requirements and reduces the leverage ratio for qualifying rural community banks (under $10 billion in assets) to 8% during this period. The bill also allows banks to request temporary deviations from approved business plans and expands agricultural loan authority for savings associations. Additionally, it mandates a federal study on barriers to new bank formation in underserved areas, with a report due to Congress within one year. The law directly affects community banks, their regulators, and residents in counties identified as "deeply affected" by branch closures.
