December 20

This week in MORE POWER:

Budget Situation Intensifies
Securing Campaign Finance
Taking On an Industry
No Payday for Corruption
One for Working Dogs

Budget Situation Intensifies

The continuing resolution (CR) put forth by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) does not have a path forward. It would have extended government funding at existing levels through March 14, while incorporating significant provisions, including $100.4 billion in disaster aid for hurricane victims and $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers. However, the CR has sparked fierce opposition, particularly among Republicans, who argue it has morphed into a sprawling omnibus package rather than a simple funding bill. President-elect Trump has called for the CR to not pass, killing the bill. A Trump-backed version was brought up for a vote in the House Thursday, but it did not pass. The deadline is still Friday, Dec. 20, so Johnson must find a new path forward; if not, the federal government will shut down.

Log in to Contact Your Reps

Securing Campaign Finance

The House has passed the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act, which aims to tighten regulations on campaign finance in federal elections. It would do so by requiring political committees to collect verification information for credit or debit card contributions made online, ensuring the card's billing address is in the U.S., with some exceptions for U.S. nationals or permanent residents abroad. Political committees are organizations that raise and spend money to influence the outcome of federal elections, such as supporting or opposing candidates or ballot measures.

The bill would also ban contributions made via prepaid cards or gift cards, as well as making political contributions on behalf of another person. The Federal Election Commission would be tasked with creating regulations to enforce these rules within 10 days of the bill becoming law. The bill is headed to the Senate.

Read More and Take Action

Taking On an Industry

The House passed a bill to address issues within the "troubled teen" industry. The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act would establish a work group tasked with improving the health, safety, care, and placement practices in youth residential programs — facilities where young people live temporarily or long-term to receive care, treatment, or services. The group would develop recommendations for a national database to track program processes and support training. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services would be required to commission the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study and propose improvements to federal and state oversight of these programs. This bill is a result of many victims of the “troubled teen” industry, including celebrity Paris Hilton, coming forward to address their experiences in youth residential programs. Having already passed the Senate, this bill is headed to President Biden’s desk.

Read More and Take Action

No Payday for Corruption

The House passed the No Congressionally Obligated Recurring Revenue Used as Pensions To Incarcerated Officials Now (NO CORRUPTION) Act this week. This bill would make all congressmembers convicted of a crime – specifically a public corruption crime, meaning they used their position for personal gain – ineligible to receive retirement payments under the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees' Retirement System, which are both taxpayer-funded government programs that provide retirement benefits to certain federal workers. Supporters say that this bill will ensure immoral congressmembers cannot continue to profit off of the American taxpayer. This bill is now heading to President Biden’s desk.

Read More and Take Action

One for Working Dogs

The House passed the Working Dog Health and Welfare Act, which would promote better health among working dogs. This bill, if made law, would require federal agencies with working dog programs to comply with care guidelines outlined in a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. This would include ensuring that the dogs receive regular exercise, routine veterinary care, and better treatment. The Senate has already passed this bill, so it’s heading to President Biden’s desk.

Read More and Take Action

What Congress Passed

H.R.1377 Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act

H.R.3293 Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act

H.R.3343 Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act

H.R.4534 Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act

H.R.6020 Honor Our Living Donors Act

H.R.6394 Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act

H.R.7188 Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act

H.R.7224 To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training Program.

H.R.8150 Reducing Excessive Vetting Authorities to Maintain our Ports Act

H.R.9487 House Office of Legislative Counsel Modernization Act

H.R.9488 SHIELD Act

H.R.9489 Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress Sunset Act

H.R.9595 FIT Procurement Act

S.59 Chance to Compete Act

S.141 Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act

S.223 A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to fix a technical error in the definitions.

S.932 No CORRUPTION Act

S.2414 Working Dog Health and Welfare Act

S.2513 Veterans Benefits Improvement Act

S.3998 Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act

S.4610 A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to designate the bald eagle as the national bird.

S.4716 Financial Management Risk Reduction Act

H.R.115 Midnight Rules Relief Act

H.R.670 To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a website to promote awareness of available resources for individuals with disabilities, and for other purposes

H.R.1101 Lumbee Fairness Act

H.R.3396 Fire Department Repayment Act

H.R.5401 9/11 Memorial and Museum Act

H.R.6127 MAPWaters Act

H.R.7938 Klamath Basin Water Agreement Support Act

H.R.8012 Jackie Robinson Ballpark National Commemorative Site Act

H.R.8308 Nutria Eradication and Control Reauthorization Act

H.R.8931 To redesignate Saratoga National Historical Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park.

H.R.8946 Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act

H.R.9516 Military Families National Parks Access Enhancement Act

S.1147 Jenna Quinn Law

S.3448 Never Again Education Reauthorization Act

S.4107 Think Differently Transportation Act

S.4181 Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act

S.5355 NACIE Improvement Act

H.R.8664 DHS Intelligence and Analysis Oversight and Transparency Act

S.759 Beagle Brigade Act

S.1351 Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act

S.3857 Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act

S.3959 Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act

H.R.4467 DHS Border Services Contracts Review Act

H.R.7177 To amend title 28, United States Code, to consolidate certain divisions in the Northern District of Alabama.

H.R.7524 GSA Technology Accountability Act

H.R.8219 Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act

H.R.8413 Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoirs Land Conveyances Act

S.465 BADGES for Native Communities Act

S.5300 Contaminated Wells Relocation Act

S.5465 A bill to clarify where court may be held for certain district courts in Texas and California.

S.5543 Fair Credit for American Hostages Act

H.R.663 Native American Child Protection Act

H.R.1607 To clarify jurisdiction with respect to certain Bureau of Reclamation pumped storage development, and for other purposes.

H.R.1727 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission Extension Act

H.R.2468 Mountain View Corridor Completion Act

H.R.3324 To extend the authority to collect Shasta-Trinity Marina fees through fiscal year 2029.

H.R.4094 Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act

H.R.6843 To expand the boundaries of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area to include Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.

H.R.7332 Utah State Parks Adjustment Act

H.R.9566 SHARE IT Act

S.1144 Invest to Protect Act

S.1277 Mammoth Cave National Park Boundary Adjustment Act

S.1299 Fairness for Servicemembers and their Families Act

S.3022 IHS Workforce Parity Act

S.3502 Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act

S.3543 Historic Greenwood District—Black Wall Street National Monument Establishment Act

S.4654 Fire Management Assistance Grants for Tribal Governments Act

S.5005 A bill to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act.

S.5130 Opioid Overdose Data Collection Enhancement Act

S.5398 DETERRENCE Act

H.R.4385 Drought Preparedness Act

H.R.5443 AACE Act

H.R.5770 Water Monitoring and Tracking Essential Resources (WATER) Data Improvement Act

H.R.6062 To restore the ability of the people of American Samoa to approve amendments to the territorial constitution

S.432 Nulhegan River and Paul Stream Wild and Scenic River Study Act

S.608 Deerfield River Wild and Scenic River Study Act

S.961 Salem Maritime National Historical Park Redesignation and Boundary Study Act

S.1059 Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act

S.1088 North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act

S.1760 Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act Amendments Act

S.2018 Connect Our Parks Act

S.2042 Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act

S.2151 Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act

S.2615 Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act

S.2620 Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act

S.3123 Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters Act

S.3373 A bill to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time period during which licensees are required to commence construction of certain hydropower projects

S.4129 Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Museum Artifacts Act

S.4209 Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access Act

S.4576 Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act

S.4994 Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act

S.5000 A bill to provide for a memorandum of understanding to address the impacts of a certain record of decision on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund.

S.5125 Land Manager Housing and Workforce Improvement Act

S.5136 Plum Island Preservation Study Act

S.5595 A bill to amend the Act of June 22, 1948.

H.R.6492 EXPLORE Act

H.R.7365 VETS Safe Travel Act

H.R.7938 Klamath Basin Water Agreement Support Act

H.R.9592 Federal Register Modernization Act

S.623 A bill to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to exclude certain payments to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives or descendants of Alaska Natives from being used to determine eligibility for certain programs, and for other purposes.

S.2020 Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act

S.2160 Urban Canal Modernization Act

S.2742 Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park Establishment Act

S.2784 A bill to amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992 to adjust the boundary of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, and for other purposes.

S.3617 Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act

S.3790 Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act

S.4451 RESERVE Federal Land Act

S.4511 Guarding Readiness Resources Act

S.4607 America's National Churchill Museum National Historic Landmark Act

S.4640 Supporting Victims of Human Trafficking Act

S.4851 Scarper Ridge Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act

S.4974 A bill to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to reauthorize the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System, and for other purposes.

S.5062 Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act