Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal.
Impact
If enacted, HR319 is expected to lead to significant changes in federal policies regarding environmental regulations, worker protections, and infrastructure investments. The resolution aims to provide pathways for communities historically marginalized by environmental degradation and economic inequality to participate meaningfully in the transition to a sustainable economy. This could lead to the creation of millions of sustainable jobs while also focusing on environmental stewardship, thereby reshaping various sectors, including energy, transportation, and agriculture.
Summary
House Resolution 319 calls for the Federal Government to take robust actions to create a 'Green New Deal' aimed at addressing climate change and promoting economic and social justice. The resolution emphasizes the urgent need for a national mobilization to meet ambitious goals, including transitioning to renewable energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring job security through the creation of high-wage union jobs. It highlights the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and seeks to address systemic injustices through inclusive and participatory processes.
Contention
There are notable points of contention surrounding HR319, primarily regarding the feasibility of the proposed initiatives and the economic implications of a massive government-led mobilization. Critics might argue that the ambitious goals set by the Green New Deal could lead to increased government intervention in the economy, potentially stifling innovation and imposing burdensome regulations on businesses. Moreover, questions regarding the funding mechanisms and whether federal initiatives can effectively address local needs remain significant concerns among lawmakers. Supporters, however, argue that such a bold initiative is necessary to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and to ensure a just transition that builds resilience in impacted communities.
Expressing the sense of Congress that there is a climate emergency which demands a massive-scale mobilization to halt, reverse, and address its consequences and causes.
Recognizing a health and safety emergency disproportionately affecting the fundamental rights of children due to the Trump administration's directives that unleash fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, while suppressing climate change science.
Expressing the need for the Federal Government to establish a national biodiversity strategy for protecting biodiversity for current and future generations.
Recognizing the significant impact and legacy of Cecil Corbin-Mark in the environmental justice community and further recognizing that climate change most severely impacts vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in the United States and around the world, and that it is the responsibility of the United States Government to work with its global partners to promote environmental justice.
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that it is the duty of the Federal Government to dramatically expand and strengthen the care economy.
Honoring the life of Dr. Paul Farmer by recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to adopt a 21st-century global health solidarity strategy and take actions to address past and ongoing harms that undermine the health and well-being of people around the world.
Recognizing that the climate crisis disproportionately affects the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children, expressing the sense of Congress that leadership by the United States is still urgently needed to address the climate crisis, and acknowledging the need of the United States to develop a national, comprehensive, science-based, and just climate recovery plan to phase out fossil fuel emissions, protect and enhance natural carbon sequestration, and put the United States on a path toward stabilizing the climate system.
Assault Weapons Ban of 2023 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). 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. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. 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. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. 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.