[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 181 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5340-S5342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Warner):
S. 3202. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide
an alternative manner of furnishing certain health insurance coverage
statements to individuals; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 3202
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Paperwork Burden Reduction
Act''.
SEC. 2. ALTERNATIVE MANNER OF FURNISHING CERTAIN HEALTH
INSURANCE COVERAGE STATEMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS.
(a) Reporting of Health Insurance Coverage.--Section
6055(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(3) Alternative manner of furnishing statements.--For
purposes of this subsection, any person required to make a
return under subsection (a) shall be treated as timely
furnishing the written statement required under paragraph (1)
if--
``(A) such person provides clear, conspicuous, and
accessible notice (at such time and in such manner as the
Secretary may provide) that any individual to whom a
statement would otherwise be required to be furnished under
paragraph (1) may request a copy of such statement, and
``(B) such person, on request of any such individual,
furnishes a copy of such statement to such individual not
later than the later of--
``(i) January 31 of the year following the calendar year
for which the return under subsection (a) was required to be
made, or
``(ii) 30 days after the date of such request.''.
(b) Certain Employers Required to Report on Health
Insurance Coverage.--Section 6056(c) of such Code is amended
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(3) Alternative manner of furnishing statements.--For
purposes of this subsection, any person required to make a
return under subsection (a) shall be treated as timely
furnishing the written statement required under paragraph (1)
if--
``(A) such person provides clear, conspicuous, and
accessible notice (at such time and in such manner as the
Secretary may provide) that any individual to whom a
statement would otherwise be required to be furnished under
paragraph (1) may request a copy of such statement, and
``(B) such person, on request of any such individual,
furnishes a copy of such statement to such individual not
later than the later of--
``(i) January 31 of the year following the calendar year
for which the return under subsection (a) was required to be
made, or
``(ii) 30 days after the date of such request.''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall apply to statements with respect to returns for
calendar years after 2023.
______
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Booker, Ms. Collins,
Mr. Carper, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Coons, Mr. Rounds, Ms. Duckworth,
Mr. Thune, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Tillis, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Wicker, Mr.
Wyden, and Mr. Young):
S. 3211. A bill to enhance our Nation's nurse and physician workforce
by recapturing unused immigrant visas; to the Committee on the
Judiciary.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was oredered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 3211
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Healthcare Workforce
Resilience Act''.
SEC. 2. RECAPTURING UNUSED IMMIGRANT VISAS FOR PROFESSIONAL
NURSES AND PHYSICIANS.
Section 106(d) of the American Competitiveness in the
Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 (title I of Public Law 106-
313; 8 U.S.C. 1153 note) is amended to read as follows:
``(d) Recapture of Unused Employment-Based Immigrant
Visas.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), and
notwithstanding any other provision of law, the number of
employment-based visas made available under section 203(b) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)) shall
be increased by the number calculated in paragraph (3).
``(2) Limitations.--
``(A) In general.--Visas may only be made available under
this subsection for up to 40,000 employment-based immigrants
(and their family members accompanying or following to join
under section 203(d) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(d))) whose
immigrant worker petitions are filed not later than 3 years
after the date of the enactment of the Healthcare Workforce
Resilience Act.
``(B) Reservations.--Of the visas authorized under
subparagraph (A)--
[[Page S5341]]
``(i) 25,000 shall be reserved for professional nurses; and
``(ii) 15,000 shall be reserved for physicians.
``(C) Exemption from country caps.--Visas made available
under this subsection--
``(i) shall not be subject to the per country numerical
limitation set forth in section 202(a)(2) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1152(a)(2)); and
``(ii) shall be issued in order of the priority date
assigned at the time the visa petition was filed.
``(D) Additional limitation.--Visas may only be made
available under this subsection to a beneficiary and such
beneficiary's dependents if visas are not otherwise
immediately available to such individuals pursuant to the
worldwide and per country allocations set forth in sections
202(a)(2) and 203(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1152(a)(2) and 1153(b)).
``(3) Number available.--
``(A) Unused visas.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the
number calculated in this paragraph is the difference
between--
``(i) the total number of employment-based visas that were
made available in fiscal years 1992 through 2021; and
``(ii) the total number of such visas that were used in
such fiscal years.
``(B) Reduction and limitation.--The number described in
subparagraph (A) shall be reduced, for each fiscal year
following the fiscal year during which the Healthcare
Workforce Resilience Act is enacted, by the cumulative number
of immigrant visas used pursuant to paragraph (1).
``(C) Family members.--
``(i) In general.--Family members described in section
203(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1153(d)) who are accompanying or following to join a
principal beneficiary seeking admission under this subsection
shall be entitled to an unreserved visa in the same status
and in the same order of consideration as such principal
beneficiary.
``(ii) Exempt from skill-based numerical limitation.--Visas
described in clause (i)--
``(I) shall be made available from the pool of recaptured
unused immigrant visas calculated under subparagraph (A); and
``(II) shall not be counted against the total number of
immigrant visas reserved for professional nurses and
physicians under paragraph (2).
``(D) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this paragraph may
be construed as affecting the application of section
201(c)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1151(c)(3)(C)).
``(4) Premium processing; expedited processing.--
``(A) Premium processing.--The Secretary of Homeland
Security, in conjunction with the Secretary of State, shall
provide premium processing procedures, as provided for under
section 286(u) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1356(u)), for reviewing and acting upon petitions and
applications for immigrants described in paragraph (2).
Notwithstanding such section, U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services may not charge a premium fee for such
services.
``(B) Shipping petitions.--The Director of U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services shall expedite the shipping of each
petition described in subparagraph (A) requiring consular
processing to the Department of State immediately after--
``(i) the completed petition has been resolved; and
``(ii) the petitioner has replied to any request from U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services for additional evidence.
``(C) Expedited processing.--The Secretary of State shall
expedite the processing of applications for immigrants
described in paragraph (2) after receiving a petition on
behalf of such immigrants from U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services.
``(5) Labor attestation.--Before an immigrant visa reserved
under paragraph (2)(B)(i) is issued to an alien, the
petitioner shall attest, in the job offer letter presented by
the alien to a consular officer during the consular interview
or to the Department of Homeland Security as an application
for an adjustment of status, that the hiring of the alien has
not displaced and will not displace a United States
worker.''.
______
By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Daines, Mr. Tester,
Ms. Rosen, Ms. Cortez Masto, and Mr. Heinrich):
S. 3221. A bill to amend title 5, United States Code, to establish a
special limitation on pay for wildland fire responders, and for other
purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs.
Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Wildland
Firefighter Fair Pay Act to permanently increase the pay caps of some
of the United States' most hard-working employees, who risk their lives
to keep our communities safe and manage the land from severe wildfire.
In every State, we rely on Federal firefighters who spend weeks to
months away from their families in dangerous conditions. As fire season
turns into a year-round issue, firefighters must be compensated for
their overtime work that grows each year.
The Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act would increase the overtime pay
caps Federal wildland firefighters and adjust for the new proposed pay
scale.
This overtime pay cap increase boost the Federal Agencies' ability to
recruit Federal wildland firefighters and avoid firefighters walking
off the line midincident or leaving for other opportunities.
As it stands, current United States Code limits wildland
firefighters' premium pay and hurts Federal Agencies' ability to
recruit and retain firefighters.
Building off the bipartisan infrastructure law, a bipartisan group of
Senators and the White House are working to ensure that our wildland
firefighters are compensated appropriately for their intense line of
work. The ``Wlldfand Firefighter Fair Pay Act'' complements these
efforts by ensuring that any pay bump would not be limited by a pay
cap.
I would like to thank Senators Steve Daines, Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray
Lujan, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, and Jon Tester for joining
me in introducing this bill, as well as Representative Zoe Lofgren for
championing this bill in the House.
Lastly, we owe these efforts to California's Late Senator Dianne
Feinstein, who had written the original bill. We must continue Senator
Feinstein's legacy of supporting our firefighters and investing in
wildfire mitigation efforts across the country by permanently
increasing the premium pay cap.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this necessary
legislation to improve pay for Federal firefighters.
______
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Carper):
S. 3224. A bill to codify Internal Revenue Service guidance relating
to treatment of certain services and items for chronic conditions as
meeting the preventive care deductible safe harbor for purposes of high
deductible health plans in connection with health savings accounts; to
the Committee on Finance.
Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 3224
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Chronic Disease Flexible
Coverage Act''.
SEC. 2. SERVICES AND ITEMS FOR CHRONIC CONDITIONS TREATED AS
PREVENTIVE CARE.
(a) In General.--The additional preventive care services
and items for chronic conditions that may be treated as
preventive care for purposes of section 223(c)(2)(C) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as set forth in IRS Notice
2019-45 shall have the same force and effect as if included
in the enactment of this Act.
(b) No Inference.--To the extent not inconsistent with this
subsection, no inference shall be made from such subsection
with respect to such other rules or guidance as the Secretary
has provided, or may provide, with respect to preventive
services for purposes of section 223(c)(2)(C) of such Code.
______
By Mr. MANCHIN (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Risch,
Ms. Hirono, and Mr. Boozman):
S.J. Res. 48. A joint resolution to approve the 2023 Agreement to
Amend the U.S.-FSM Compact, and related agreements, between the
Government of the United States of America and the Government of the
Federated States of Micronesia, and the 2023 Agreement to Amend the
U.S.-RMI Compact, and certain related agreements between the Government
of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of
the Marshall Islands, and the 2023 U.S.-Palau Compact Review Agreement
between the Government of the United States of America and the
Government of the Republic of Palau, to appropriate funds to carry out
the agreements, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources.
Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, today, I have joined Senators Manchin,
Risch, Cardin, Boozman, and Hirono in introducing the Compacts of Free
Association Amendments Act of 2023. In the House of Representatives,
Congressmen Westerman, Grijalva, McCaul, and Meeks are introducing
identical legislation.
This legislation renews the compact agreements between the United
States and the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands,
and the Federated States of Micronesia, commonly referred to as the
Freely Associated States.
This legislation will protect American interests in the Pacific and
block
[[Page S5342]]
China's efforts to expand its influence. The Compacts of Free
Association give the United States exclusive military authority over
the Freely Associated States' lands and waters. This authority
guarantees that our military can operate bases on the islands and deny
access to any potential adversaries in the region. This is critical
because Chinese aggression in the region is an ever-present danger.
China is expanding its power in the Indo-Pacific and is threatening
the Freely Associated States. China is actively trying to upset the
security and power dynamic in the region and threaten Taiwan. In March
of this year, the outgoing President of the Federated States of
Micronesia outlined Chinese attempts to undermine his country's ties to
the United States through bribery and threatening public officials.
China has also tried to use aggressive and coercive actions against the
economies of the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall
Islands by threatening their tourism and fishing industries.
Today's introduction is a positive step. The House Natural Resources
Committee intends to mark, up this legislation in order for it be
included in the National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA. The Senate
has already included language in the NDAA supporting renewal of the
compacts. One important issue that is not addressed in this bill is how
the legislation will be paid for. The question of a spending offset
needs to be addressed as the bill makes its way through the legislative
process.
____________________