House Bills on the Floor

This bill changes the rules for the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program by requiring more oversight and regular reporting. The SBA would have to send monthly reports to Congress about how much money is left in the disaster loan fund, and if they don't submit reports on time, the SBA Administrator wouldn't be allowed to spend money on official travel. The President's yearly budget would need to include separate details about how much money is being requested for disaster loans, including loans related to COVID-19, and explain any differences from the average costs over the past ten years. The bill also requires the SBA to alert Congress when disaster loan funds are running low and calls for additional reviews by the Government Accountability Office on how disaster loans are being handed out and what certain rule changes have cost.

0 votes

This bill makes a wide range of changes to benefits, health care, and services for veterans and their families. It updates disability pay rules so some retired veterans can receive both their military retirement pay and disability compensation at the same time, increases payments for surviving spouses, and creates extra monthly payments for certain disabled veterans. The bill also improves education and job training benefits, expands support for family caregivers, extends a suicide prevention grant program, and broadens mental health research at the VA. Additionally, it updates disability ratings for conditions like sleep apnea and tinnitus, makes more family members eligible for memorial headstones, sets standards for the Veterans Community Care Program, and addresses VA hiring and building needs.

1 vote

This bill changes the rules for how states can use money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides help to families in need. It says that only families earning less than twice the federal poverty level can receive TANF-funded help, requires states to use the money within a set time frame instead of holding onto it indefinitely, and makes sure federal TANF money adds to — rather than replaces — state and local funding. The bill also requires states to track and report incorrect payments, and it directs the Department of Health and Human Services to create a plan to reduce or eliminate those wrong payments within 10 years.

8 votes

This bill requires a government watchdog agency called the Government Accountability Office to study the federal programs and tools that currently help small businesses deal with cybersecurity threats. The study must look at the most common cyberattacks that small businesses face and provide recommendations for making federal cybersecurity programs work better and be more coordinated.

0 votes

This bill requires the Small Business Administration to include a yearly report as part of the President's budget that provides information about certain small business contracting programs. These programs include ones designed for specific groups, such as women-owned small businesses, businesses in certain underserved areas, and businesses owned by service-disabled veterans. The report must show how many small businesses are certified in each program, how many applied to more than one program, and what percentage of applicants got certified in two or more programs.

0 votes

This bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to put out a report every year about how it uses artificial intelligence and machine learning. The report must cover the benefits and risks of using these technologies and explain what steps the SBA can take to manage those benefits and risks, including how to make sure humans stay involved in decisions that use AI. The SBA must also brief certain committees in Congress about the report within 30 days of submitting it.

0 votes

This bill requires the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to send reports every two years to the Small Business Administration explaining how their work enforcing antitrust laws has helped promote competition and protect small businesses from unfair practices. These reports must include how many antitrust inquiries, investigations, and enforcement actions the agencies carried out. The Small Business Administration must then send Congress a summary of those reports, along with any recommendations for steps that could help boost competition and prevent unfair business practices. The bill also removes an existing requirement that the President send Congress a yearly report about the role of small businesses in the economy.

0 votes

This bill lets the Small Business Administration use its main loan program, called the 7(a) loan program, to help small businesses pay for business software or cloud computing services. These tools can include things like payroll systems, accounting software, inventory tracking, human resources programs, and tools that use artificial intelligence. The 7(a) loan program provides loan guarantees through participating lenders to small businesses that can't get reasonable loan terms on their own.

0 votes

This bill requires the Small Business Administration's inspector general to send Congress a report every three months about fraud connected to certain COVID-19 loan programs, like the Paycheck Protection Program. Each report must include details such as how many loans were involved, how much money was at stake, how many new and resolved fraud cases there were, and what types of fraud occurred. These reporting requirements would end two years after the bill becomes law.

0 votes

This bill sets aside money for the 2027 fiscal year to fund several government agencies and programs. It covers U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects like flood control and water infrastructure, the Bureau of Reclamation under the Department of the Interior, and a wide range of Department of Energy programs including nuclear energy, science research, oil reserves, energy loans, and national nuclear security. It also funds independent agencies like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and it includes rules about how the money can and cannot be spent.

0 votes

This bill sets aside money for the 2027 budget year to fund national security, the Department of State, and a number of related programs. It covers spending for the State Department's operations, international organizations, and various commissions focused on topics like religious freedom, security cooperation, and U.S.-China relations. The bill also funds programs that provide economic and security aid to other countries, as well as agencies like the Peace Corps, the Export-Import Bank, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Finally, it includes rules and limits on how the money from this bill and other spending bills can be used.

1 vote

This bill renews the Endangered Species Act through 2031 and generally reduces the protections it provides. It creates a five-year plan for deciding which species should be listed as endangered or threatened, gives government agencies more time to respond to requests to list species, and limits which land can be set aside as critical habitat. The bill also allows states to manage the recovery of threatened species in some cases, lets private landowners make voluntary agreements to help at-risk species while continuing their operations, and removes some environmental review requirements for certain permits that allow harm to protected species. Additionally, it limits some requirements around government consultations, court challenges, and attorney fee payments in certain legal cases.

5 votes · 1 comment

This bill extends until October 20, 2027, a part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that allows the government to collect communications from non-U.S. persons located outside the United States in order to gather foreign intelligence. It also keeps backup rules in place so that if these authorities expire, any existing surveillance orders can continue until their own expiration dates. Communications involving U.S. persons may sometimes be picked up as part of this surveillance and can be searched under certain conditions.

5 votes

This bill would remove certain environmental and historic preservation review requirements for some changes to existing wireless towers and cell phone base stations. The changes covered include adding new equipment to existing towers, removing equipment, or replacing equipment. Under current law, these types of projects must go through reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, but this bill would eliminate those review requirements for these specific tower modifications.

5 votes

This bill changes the makeup of a committee that advises the Veterans Health Administration on issues related to older veterans. The committee must add one member who represents the National Association of State Veterans Homes and has a professional license to run nursing homes. The committee also must talk with the National Association of Veterans State Homes about matters that affect that organization.

2 votes

This bill stops payment card companies (like credit card networks) from using special codes that single out gun stores as different from general merchandise or sporting goods stores. The Department of Justice is required to enforce this rule and put out a yearly report on any investigations or cases that come from it.

0 votes

This bill requires employees at the Small Business Administration (SBA) who work on reviewing or approving SBA loans to sign a written statement saying they do not have any conflict of interest with the loan, that they will report any conflict that comes up later, and that they understand the rules about conflicts of interest. Current law already requires federal employees to report financial conflicts of interest and step aside from matters where they have one. The SBA would also be required to create official rules to carry out these new requirements.

0 votes

This bill officially creates the Office of Native American Affairs inside the Small Business Administration (SBA). That office would work with Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to help their members start or grow small businesses by connecting them with SBA programs for business development, government contracts, and access to funding. The goal is to support economic development in Indian country.

0 votes

The SCORE Act creates rules for how college athletes can get paid for using their name, image, or likeness in things like advertisements or endorsements. The bill stops colleges and organizations like the NCAA from preventing student athletes from making these deals. Colleges that make $20 million or more from sports each year must provide counseling and medical benefits to their athletes and have at least 16 sports teams. The bill says student athletes are not employees of their schools, and it overrides state laws about student athlete compensation and benefits.

2 votes

This bill lets investment companies and their agents delay when older or impaired adults can take money out of their investments if they think the person is being financially exploited. The bill applies to people 65 or older, or people 18 or older who cannot protect themselves due to mental or physical problems. Companies can delay the withdrawal for up to 15 days, and then another 10 days if they determine exploitation is happening. During the delay, the money must be kept in a bank account, and companies must notify government regulators about using these procedures.

0 votes