June 14
This week in MORE POWER:
Republicans Block IVF Protections
No Hidden Fees
Employment for People with Disabilities
Going to War Over the Defense Bill
Resolve Tibet Act is Almost There
Republicans Block IVF Protections
Senate Republicans blocked a bill called the Right to IVF Act that would have federally protected the right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF), so that states could not restrict access to the reproductive service. It also would have protected providers and insurance companies. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted with Democrats to protect it, while others called it a publicity stunt, saying IVF doesn't need protecting. Many Republicans signed a statement expressing their support for IVF before voting the bill down.
No Hidden Fees
The bipartisan No Hidden FEES Act passed the House with a huge margin of 384 to 25. This bill aims to get rid of all hidden fees on short-term lodging, like Airbnb, hotels and motels. The bill, if made law, will require that the advertised price matches the final price, so no one is caught off-guard when they book short-term rentals.
Employment for People with Disabilities
The ThinkDIFFERENTLY about Disability Employment Act passed the House. This bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assist people with disabilities who wish to become business owners or otherwise self-employed. Additionally, the bill would require the SBA to work with small businesses who wish to hire people with disabilities but are running into issues of accessibility. Overall, this bill intends to connect people with disabilities to employment opportunities that they can succeed in.
Going to War Over the Defense Bill
The House overcame a week of infighting to pass the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a thin margin of 217-199. Congress passes the NDAA every year to allocate money to the Department of Defense (DOD) and specify how it has to spend the money. This year’s NDAA is a bit different, though. It’s titled the “Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025,” highlighting the bill’s focus on all service members – those who are actively in service and those who are not. Among other things, the bill allocates funds to give service members a pay raise, improve military housing and expand access to childcare.
The partisan battle is over specific measures of the budget, such as reducing environmental protections, access to diversity protections and access to reproductive health care.
Resolve Tibet Act is Almost There
The Resolve Tibet Act has passed both the Senate and House, meaning it is now going to President Biden’s desk to – most likely – be signed into law. The Resolve Tibet Act intends to promote conversation between Tibet’s officials, whether that be a democratically-elected government or the Dalai Lama and his representatives, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Additionally, it clarifies what the U.S. considers to be Tibet. China’s definition of Tibet – the Tibet Autonomous Region – excludes some of the land that the U.S. and Tibetans consider to be Tibet. The bill also makes correcting the CCP’s misinformation about Tibet much easier.
What Congress Passed
H.R.537 Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act
H.R.6543 No Hidden Fees on Extra Expenses for Stays Act of 2023
H.R.7984 Rural Small Business Resilience Act
H.R.7988 Small Business Procurement and Utilization Reform Act of 2024
H.R.7989 ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act
H.R.8014 Transparency and Predictability in Small Business Opportunities Act
H.R.4581 Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2024
What POTUS Signed Into Law
Nothing.
