Help Ensure Legal Detainers Act or the HELD Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds by a state or local subdivision that has in effect a law, policy, or procedure that prevents or impedes a timely response to a request by the Department of Homeland Security for information about an alien in custody, including the alien's estimated release date; or compliance with a detainer request.
Washington, D.C. Admission Act This bill provides for the admission of the state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth into the United States. The commonwealth consists of all the territory of the District of Columbia (DC), excluding certain federal property. The excluded property shall be known as the Capital and serve as the seat of federal government; it includes the principal federal monuments, the White House, the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court Building, and the federal office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and Capitol Building. In addition, the bill maintains the federal government's authority over military lands and specified other property and prohibits the commonwealth from taxing federal property except as permitted by Congress. Within 30 days of this bill's enactment, the DC mayor must call for the election of two Senators and one Representative for the commonwealth. The commonwealth shall be admitted into the United States upon a presidential proclamation announcing the results of that election. The bill applies current DC laws to the commonwealth and continues pending judicial proceedings. It also continues certain federal authorities and responsibilities, including regarding employee benefits, agencies, and courts, until the commonwealth certifies that it is prepared to take over those authorities and responsibilities. Further, the bill provides for expedited consideration of a joint resolution to repeal the Twenty-third Amendment to the Constitution (which allows DC citizens to vote in presidential elections). The bill also establishes a commission to advise the President, Congress, and DC and commonwealth leaders on the transition.
Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2023This bill allows Congress to disapprove multiple regulations under one joint resolution of disapproval if the regulations were submitted for review during a portion of the final year of a President's term.Under current law, the Congressional Review Act generally provides for a period of additional review during the succeeding Congress for regulations that were submitted during the last 60 legislative days of the prior Congress. However, each joint resolution may disapprove of only one regulation.
All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act of 2023 or the ALERT Act of 2023 This bill establishes various reporting requirements with respect to federal agency rulemaking. Specifically, each agency must submit a monthly report to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for each rule the agency expects to propose or finalize during the following year, including information about the objectives and legal basis for the rule as well as whether the rule is subject to periodic review based on its significant economic impact. Additionally, each agency must submit a monthly report for any rule expected to be finalized during the following year for which the agency has issued a general notice of proposed rulemaking, including an approximate schedule for completing action on the rule and an estimate of its cost and economic effects. OIRA must publish this information online and, subject to certain exceptions, a rule may not take effect until the information has been published for at least six months. The bill also requires OIRA to annually publish in the Federal Register specified information it receives from agencies under this bill, including a list of each rule an agency has proposed and the total cost of all rules proposed or finalized. OIRA must further publish online (1) any analysis of the costs or benefits of rules that were proposed or finalized during the previous year, and (2) a list of rules that were subjected to various forms of review during the previous year.
Permitting for Mining Needs Act of 2023 This bill expedites the review of mining projects on federal lands and limits judicial review of mining projects. For example, the bill expands the federal permitting and review processes under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for critical minerals. Under the act, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service, to the maximum extent practicable, must complete the federal permitting and review processes related to critical mineral mines on federal lands with maximum efficiency and effectiveness. This bill expands this process to include all minerals as defined by the bill, not only critical minerals. The bill also establishes deadlines for completing the review of mining projects under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. In addition, the bill also expands the meaning of covered projects under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to include (1) certain mineral production projects, and (2) certain actions taken by the Department of Defense. Such projects qualify for expedited environmental review. It also establishes requirements to expedite the review or authorization of certain mineral projects, such as (1) mineral exploration activities with a surface disturbance of no more than five acres of public lands, (2) ancillary mining activities, and (3) uranium projects. Finally, the bill limits judicial review of a permit, license, or approval issued by a lead agency for a mining project by requiring the filing of claims within a certain time period.
Less Imprecision in Species Treatment Act of 2023 or the LIST Act of 2023 This bill revises the process for removing a species from the endangered or threatened species lists. A species must be removed from the endangered or threatened species lists if the Department of the Interior produces or receives substantial scientific or commercial information demonstrating that the species is recovered or that recovery goals set for the species have been met. The publication and notice of a proposed regulation to remove a species from the lists must consist solely of a notice of the removal. The bill establishes a process for removing species from the lists if they were erroneously or wrongfully listed. The bill prohibits a person from submitting a petition to list a species as a threatened or endangered species for 10 years if the person knowingly submitted a petition with information that was inaccurate beyond scientifically reasonable margins of error, fraudulent, or misrepresentative.
Disapproving the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to "Overdraft Lending: Very Large Financial Institutions".
Border Safety and Security Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend the entry of any non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) without valid entry documents during any period when DHS cannot detain such an individual or return the individual to a foreign country contiguous to the United States. A state may sue DHS to enforce this requirement. (Under current law, non-U.S. nationals who arrive at the border without entry documents are generally subject to expedited removal. However, if such an individual is found to have a credible fear of persecution, they are typically subject to detention while their asylum claim is being considered.) The bill also authorizes DHS to suspend the entry of non-U.S. nationals without entry documents at the border if DHS determines that such a suspension is necessary to achieve operational control over such a border.
Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act This bill modifies procedures related to specified chemical assessments performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Specifically, chemical hazard identification and dose response assessments must be performed by the appropriate EPA program office (they are currently performed by the Integrated Risk Information System program). Additionally, the bill requires the EPA to establish a steering committee to ensure there is no duplication of effort by relevant program offices in conducting covered assessments.
Disapproving of the rule submitted by the Department of Homeland Security relating to "Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements Affecting Other Nonimmigrant Workers".