Tagged: government information and archives

This bill repeals the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The act established certain voter registration requirements for federal elections, such as the requirement for states to allow individuals to register to vote when they apply for a driver's license.

Federal Employee Student Debt Transparency ActThis bill requires certain executive branch employees to disclose their federal student loan debt in an annual report.The bill's requirement applies to an employee serving in a Senior Executive Service position or a position of a confidential or policy-determining nature (i.e., a Schedule C position). Covered employees must file a report detailing the principal and interest owed on loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, the Federal Family Education Loan Program, and the Federal Perkins Loan Program. The bill also requires the Office of Government Ethics to submit an annual report to Congress that contains (1) the total amount owed by all covered employees, and (2) the name of any covered employee who failed to report the required information. 

Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory Review ActThis bill requires the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to issue guidance for using technology to retrospectively review existing federal regulations and, in consultation with relevant agencies, report on the progress of the federal government in making agency regulations available in a machine-readable format.Specifically, the OIRA report must (1) assess whether regulations of agencies have been made available to the public in a machine-readable format, and (2) provide information about the recognition by the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register of the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) as an official legal edition of the Code of Federal Regulations. Currently, the content of the eCFR is authoritative but unofficial.Additionally, not later than 18 months after the enactment of this bill, the OIRA must issue guidance about how a federal agency can use technology to retrospectively review the agency's existing regulations. Each agency must plan and implement a strategy to comply with the OIRA's guidance for the retrospective review.

Native American Education Opportunity Act This bill addresses education savings account programs and charter schools for tribal students. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior, at the request of federally recognized Indian tribes, to provide funds to tribes for tribal-based education savings account programs. Tribes must use these funds to award grants to education savings accounts for students who (1) attended or will be eligible to attend a school operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE); or (2) will not be attending a school operated by the BIE, receiving an education savings account from another tribe, or attending public elementary or secondary school while participating in the program. Funds may be used for items and activities such as costs of attendance at private schools, private tutoring and online learning programs, textbooks, educational software, or examination fees. The Government Accountability Office must review the implementation of these education savings account programs, including any factors impacting increased participation in such programs. Additionally, the bill authorizes the BIE to approve and fund charter schools at any school that it operates or funds.

Protecting Our Children from the CDC ActThis bill prohibits the inclusion of any COVID-19 vaccine on the child and adolescent immunization schedule (which lists the vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for those populations) unless all clinical data related to the safety and efficacy of the vaccine is published on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Buzz Off ActThis bill prohibits federal law enforcement from using unmanned aerial vehicles to intentionally conduct surveillance of a specifically targeted U.S. citizen or the property of such an individual, with certain exceptions.Specifically, this prohibition shall not apply if (1) the federal law enforcement agency in question first obtains a search warrant, (2) the Department of Homeland Security certifies that such surveillance is necessary to counter a high risk of a terrorist attack by a specified person or organization, or (3) the citizen gives written consent for a photograph or recording that will be made available to the public.