<p><STRONG>Robo Calls Off Phones Act or the Robo COP Act</STRONG></p> <p>This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission to revise the do-not-call registry provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule to prohibit politically-oriented recorded message telephone calls to numbers listed on that registry. </p> <p>A politically-oriented recorded message telephone call is an outbound telephone call that plays a recorded message that (1) promotes, advertises, campaigns, or solicits donations for or against a political candidate or regarding a political issue; or (2) uses a political candidate's name.</p>

<p><b>Vieques Recovery and Redevelopment Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill provides a framework to compensate certain residents of the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, for the use of such island for military readiness. The bill sets forth provisions regarding award amounts for individuals and for claims by the municipality of Vieques.</p> <p>An individual claimant shall be awarded monetary compensation if the claimant contracted a chronic, life threatening, or physical or mental disease or illness, during or after the government used the island for military readiness.</p>

<p><b>Pandemic is Over Act</b></p> <p>This bill terminates the COVID-19 public health emergency that was declared on January 31, 2020, on the date of the bill's enactment.</p>

<p><b>Expedited Removal Codification Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill provides statutory authority for a <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/07/23/2019-15710/designating-aliens-for-expedited-removal">July 23, 2019, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice</a> that expanded the classes of non-U.S. nationals (<i>aliens</i> under federal law) who are subject to expedited removal (i.e., removal without further hearing or review). </p> <p>DHS published another <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/03/21/2022-05961/rescission-of-the-notice-of-july-23-2019-designating-aliens-for-expedited-removal">notice on March 21, 2022</a>, rescinding the July 2019 notice. Thus, this bill in effect restores the expanded version of expedited removal under the July 2019 notice. </p> <p>The July 2019 notice expanded expedited removal to cover certain inadmissible non-U.S. nationals who were apprehended in any part of the United States and who have been in the United States for less than two years. By contrast, with the March 2022 rescission, expedited removal is generally limited to certain inadmissible non-U.S. nationals apprehended near or at a border.</p>

Affirming the role of the United States in improving access to quality, inclusive public education and improving learning outcomes for children and adolescents, particularly for girls, around the world.

<p><strong>Sunlight for Unaccountable Non-profits (SUN) Act </strong></p> <p>This bill expands the disclosure requirements for certain tax-exempt organizations. </p> <p>This bill requires the annual tax return information for tax-exempt organizations and deferred compensation plans to be made available to the public at no charge and in an open structured data format that is processable by computers, with the information easy to find, access, reuse, and download in bulk. </p> <p>The bill also requires the disclosure of the names and addresses of contributors of $5,000 or more&nbsp;to tax-exempt organizations that participate or intervene in political campaigns on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.</p>

<p><strong>Restaurant Revitalization Tax Credit Act </strong></p> <p>This bill allows certain restaurants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic a credit against payroll tax liability up to 100% of the wages paid to their employees, not to exceed $25,000 in any calendar quarter.</p>

<p><b>Return Home to Housing Act</b></p> <p>This bill increases the maximum rate of per diem payments provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to entities (i.e., grant recipients or authorized entities) that furnish services and transitional housing to homeless veterans. The bill also specifies that the VA may adjust the per diem rate in response to an emergency.</p>

<p><b>Strategic Production Response Act or the SPR Act</b></p> <p>This bill limits the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) until the Department of Interior issues a plan or updates a previously issued plan to increase the production of oil and gas on federal land. However, Interior may drawdown petroleum in the SPR if there is a severe energy supply interruption. The bill defines <i>federal land</i> to (1) include Outer Continental Shelf land; and (2) exclude land otherwise not available for oil and gas development within the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wilderness Preservation System, a National Marine Sanctuary, or Indian land. </p>

<p><strong>Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act of </strong><b>2023</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish a program to provide&nbsp;children with parents on active duty in the uniformed services with funds to pay educational expenses.</p> <p>Specifically, ED must establish a tax-exempt Military Education Savings Account for dependent children of parents in the uniformed services for the payment of the children's educational expenses. Funds in the savings account may be used for specified purposes, including the cost of attendance at a private elementary or secondary school or institution of higher education, private tutoring, or costs associated with an apprenticeship or other vocational training program.</p>

<p><b>Federal Land Freedom Act</b> <b><b>of 2023</b></b></p> <p>This bill sets forth a process that allows a state (including the District of Columbia) to seek to transfer the responsibility of energy development on federal land within its boundaries from the federal government to the state. Federal land does not include land that, as of May 31, 2013, is (1) held for the benefit of an Indian tribe, (2) in the National Park System, (3) in the National Wildlife Refuge System, or (4) in a congressionally designated wilderness area.</p> <p>To qualify for such a transfer of responsibility, a state must have a program that regulates the exploration and development of oil, natural gas, and other forms of energy on its land. The federal responsibility transfers to the state once the state submits to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Energy a declaration that it has such a program and that it seeks to transfer the responsibility.</p> <p>Any action taken by a state to lease, permit, or regulate the exploration and development of energy on federal land in lieu of the federal government is not subject to the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, or the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.</p>

<p><b>Secure Auction For Energy Reserves Act of 2023 or the SAFER Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill limits the sale and exportation of petroleum products (e.g., crude oil) from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to require, as a condition of auction sales, that the petroleum products not be exported to countries that are designated as countries of particular concern for religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. <p>In addition, the bill establishes limits on auction sales of petroleum products from the SPR to state-owned entities if DOE determines that, as of the dates of the auctions, there are bans on, or the imposition of sanctions by the United States with respect to, the purchase of crude oil from countries. Under such circumstances, state-owned entities must certify that they have not purchased petroleum products from countries subject to such bans or sanctions later than 15 days after the date on which the ban or sanctions went into effect in order to be able to bid in auctions. If DOE determines state-owned entities participating in the auctions have purchased crude oil from such countries after that time period, then DOE may not sell petroleum products from the SPR to such entities.</p>

<p><b>Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands Act</b> <b><b>or the FRESH Act</b></b></p> <p> This bill gives states the sole authority to promulgate or enforce any regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing on or under any land within their boundaries. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation.</p> <p>Hydraulic fracturing on federal land must comply with the law of the state in which the land is located.</p>

<p><b>Pala Band of Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of </b><strong></strong><b>2023</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Department of the Interior to take approximately 721.12 acres of land in San Diego County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, if the tribe transfers title to that land to the United States. The land is made part of the Pala Indian Reservation.</p> <p>The bill generally prohibits gaming on any of the land taken into trust.</p>

<p><strong></strong><b>Assault Weapons Ban of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD).</p> <p>The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, except for certain shotguns; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; (4) only capable of firing rimfire ammunition; or (5) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model.</p> <p>The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD:</p> <ul> <li> importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; </li> <li>importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and</li> <li> possession by a retired law enforcement officer. </li> </ul> <p>The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties.</p> <p>The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD.</p> <p>Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture.</p> <p> The bill also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.</p>